


Dogs & Red Scarves

by AzuraJae



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comedy, Crime, Drama, F/F, Gen, InuHasa, Minor Other Ships, Multi, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-29
Updated: 2015-09-15
Packaged: 2018-02-19 06:21:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2378027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzuraJae/pseuds/AzuraJae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[AU] After returning home from school one day, Sasha saves a red scarf girl from a hit-and-run accident, but dies in the process. She later awakens, having been transformed into a dog. She meets up with the girl again and together, they find out about the dark truth about the accident and fix the broken hearts that Sasha has left behind. I</p><p>Inspired by anime/light novel InuHasa (Dogs and Scissors).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Woof Woof Car

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Glad you wanted to read my Fic :D
> 
> A note for all those people who got triggered somehow by the summary or such,  
> Also, I don't promote bestiality or anything like that, but I really liked the plot of Dogs & Scissors, which is an anime/light novel series about something fairly similar to this.
> 
> I should stop babbling, Now go ahead, read the story~

Sasha made her way briskly towards the darkened part of the street. It was probably a mistake to eat in class. It wasn’t her fault that lunch wasn’t long enough for her to eat her fill. It was only natural that she pulled out a bag of chips and began to eat them right? Only natural. She would much prefer to go home and get some real food, but of course, no going against sneaking out of detention, especially with Mr. Levi as the detention supervisor.

So now here she was, in the dead of night. She waited patiently at the empty crossing, waiting for the green light to pop up to signal that it was okay to cross. Sasha glanced both ways. No cars around, she could probably run across and come out quite alright, but better safe than sorry right?

The brunette jumped when she heard footsteps beside her. Turning her head, she saw a girl, maybe around her age, with a rather noticeable petite red scarf, solemnly engrossed on reading something on her phone. Sasha felt a little nervous to be around anyone outside this late at night, but the girl didn’t seem too bad. She certainly did not look like a robber or anything, yet appearances can always be deceiving. Even so, Sasha allowed herself not to be so tense. Perhaps it was a little nice to have some company, even if it wasn’t particularly friendly.

It seemed like forever before the light blinked green. The girl had walked ahead and Sasha followed, but had halted due to the screeching of towards somewhere ahead. Peering through the darkness, she noticed a car’s headlights, coming closer at an alarming rate. Her first instinctive was the leap back in the safety of the sidewalk, but the girl with the red scarf was still walking down the road, unaware of the car that was making their way to her.

“Hey! There’s a car approaching!” Sasha shouted. The girl failed to respond, even as the headlights blared at her. Gritting her teeth, Sasha sprinted towards the seemingly unsuspecting girl. There was no way she was going to lose someone to the wheels of a car again. “Watch out!”

Sasha roughly tackled the girl, dropping her school bag in the process. The girl landed on the sidewalk, sprawled on the ground looking rather confused, but still retaining her solemn expression. Relieved that the girl was safe, the brunette soon realized that she instead had put herself in danger. Sasha only turned her head enough to meet the head of the car.

The brunette didn’t really know what happened next only that it hurt like a butt. She remembered feeling her side rip open and the smell of blood and burnt tire in the air. Sasha remembered something ringing in her ears as she felt herself painstakingly stopping her breathing for some reason. Perhaps she felt someone trying to shake her awake. It took a moment for Sasha to realize that she was dying. Sasha had figured that she probably the sheer force of being hit by a speeding car should have killed her instantly, but somehow she had managed to survive, at least for the moment.

A pulse of fear engulfed her and Sasha realized that she didn’t really want to die, at least not yet. There was still so much to live for! What would her father think? After losing his wife, he would lose his only daughter too. What about her best friend, Connie? What would he do after finding out his childhood friend died? He would probably feel sick realizing that detention together was the last time they would ever meet. What about her teachers? Would Mr. Levi feel guilty for somehow causing her early death? What about…

The thoughts swarmed her head like bees as she began to feel the pain ebb away. Yup, she was definitely dying.

But she saved someone right? The girl with the red scarf, she was undoubtedly alive. Sasha remembered she had tackled her onto the sidewalk, but even so she felt unease in her dying heart. Perhaps she felt like crying. I mean, why wouldn’t she? She was dying after all, everything she had done in life was for nothing. Her dream? Probably unachievable now. The prospect of marrying and having kids? Scratch that.  But at least, she had managed to save someone else’s life, right?

And so with that fading thought, Sasha allowed the warm feeling envelop her as she died.

-~*~-

_Not your time yet._

Sasha jerked awake, surprised that she was alive. She thought she died, but apparently she pulled through right? She looked around, feeling a little drowsy. How long was she asleep? In fact, where was she? Sasha soon identified herself to be in some sort of dark alley. Why was she here, anyway?

Feeling confused, Sasha pulled herself to her paws. Wait a minute…paws? She looked down at the ground where her feet should be, but instead of seeing human feet, she saw paws. Furry paws. Was someone playing a trick on her? Was she in the afterlife? Otherwise what other reason was she a dog.

She jumped to her paws in panic, running out of the alley, tripping over trash that was strewn across the alley. Making it to the opening of the alley, Sasha found herself in some part of the neighborhood. Then she realized it was the same neighborhood. _Her hometown._ Sasha then proceeded to howl and bark, pacing back and forth, feeling sick. She was sure that she was scaring everyone who was walking around, this was abnormal behavior for a dog after all. She had paced around barking until she had gotten the attention of probably half the neighborhood.

And so that’s how she ended up in the dog pound, or ‘dog prison’ she liked to call it. She was put in a cage, with a bowl of water and that’s where she stayed. There were some occasions where Sasha was let out to stretch her legs with a leash, but nonetheless, she spent most of her time, cramped in her cage, waiting for the possibility of being adopted, not that she had any chance. There were dozens of other dogs, much cuter and attractive than she was. She was a scraggly mutt picked off the street; it was highly unlikely that she would ever be adopted. Eventually, she had gotten used to this new lifestyle, although not particularly enjoying it. Probably the worst part of this ‘second life’, was the food. Dog food was bland, never tasted good. Even though it had the slight tang of meat or vegetables, it was horrid. Life had become less than satisfactory, yet at least she was living right?

Going into the second week in dog prison, Sasha had confirmed that she had died in a car accident, a hit-and-run accident to be exact. She had overheard one of the caretakers talking about how a brunette girl bravely saved another girl from being hit, but had been fatally injured in the process. Even though the girl had tried her best to keep her alive and had called the paramedics, Sasha soon died from blood loss and internal bleeding. Even though she had gotten over her death after the first few days in the dog pound, hearing the detailed conversation of how she died, Sasha couldn’t help, but feel sick.

Being in her cell all the time, she had a lot of time to think. Sasha often wondered what had happened with her friends and family after her death. Her father would be devastated his only child was dead. How would Connie finish his group project with his partner dead? Not only was guilt crowding her thoughts, but the constant feeling of loneliness and emptiness resided in her heart. Even though they many dogs that she could try talk to, the dogs in neighboring cages were too simple minded to engage in any serious talking a human could do. Too hyperactive and simple-minded, Sasha tried her best to ignore all the senseless chatter that crowded the pound 24/7. So most of the time, she just laid idly in her cage, waiting for something to happen.

It wasn’t until the 3rd week at the pound did Sasha finally got the relief she deserved.

-~*~-

The pound was unnaturally quiet today. Despite the fact that there was at least a thirty or more dogs, even the most ambitious noisy dogs were abnormally quiet today. The eerie silence was somehow peaceful, but somewhat disturbing. Sasha had asked the neighboring dogs next to her cell what was going on, but the merely shook their heads and patiently looked at the door.

Sometime in the late afternoon, Sasha had fallen into a light snooze, though was startled awake by someone walking down the aisle between the dog cages. Peering through the mesh of wire that kept her in, Sasha noticed a rather pretty young girl with a bright red scarf marching solemnly down the aisle, looking rather grim. A flustered employee watched helplessly as the girl took each time to stare at each dog. Each time, a dog made eye contact, it shirked back, whimpering.

“M’am, you’re scaring the dogs.” The employee said, looking nervously at the whimpering dogs.

The girl ignored the employee and continued about her strange business. After a good five minutes, the girl stopped in front of Sasha’s cell. Warm black eyes stared at her, but unlike the other dogs, she did not really feel the need to cower in fear. Instead, Sasha stared back with her unnatural honey-glazed eyes. After a moment, the girl turned to the employee who was standing awkwardly a ways, looking extremely uneasy.

“Can you open the cage?” she said rather bluntly. “I would like to see this dog.”

“U-uh, of course!” he stammered before shuffling over and opening the cage.

The employee leaned over, clipping a leash to Sasha’s collar. Sasha could obediently allow herself to follow the leash and then sat in front of the strange girl. Even though she felt rather uneasy without the cage to protect her, it was nice being out of the stuffy cage. The dark-haired girl crouched down, so now she was an eye-level with Sasha. She blinked at her and so Sasha blinked back.

“Are you the one?” she asked, reaching out to pat Sasha on the head. In response to her question Sasha wrinkled her nose and snorted.

 _What on earth are you talking about?_ Sasha barked softly back.

She was quite aware of the fact that the girl probably won’t understand her, but natural human response would be to ask this question. Hearing the girl gasp, Sasha tilted her head, feeling fairly confused. The red scarf girl stood up and faced the employee who seemed really sweaty and nervous all of a sudden.

“I will take this dog.” She ordered sternly.

“O-o-of course!” he stammered, fiddling with Sasha’s leash. “Just c-c-ome this way and I’ll get the adoption p-p-papers ready for you.”

Supposedly, Sasha would be happy that she won’t be stuck in this dog prison any longer, but to be honest, she was more curious about this mysterious, yet familiar, red scarf girl. Sasha waited patiently as she finished writing the adoption papers, trying to figure out where she had seen this girl before. When she was done, she handed the papers to the receptionist who quickly looked it over.

“Are you sure you want this dog?” the receptionist asked, looking down at Sasha. “Apparently she was a dog on the street, so we don’t have any birth records or certificates for her. Perhaps it would be better to adopt one of our purebred shepherds?”

 _Hey!_ Sasha barked loudly, making the receptionist jump. _I think that was an insult._

“No.” the red scarf girl said firmly and almost menacingly glared at the receptionist, who seemed a little spooked that seemingly the dog somehow understood her. “It has to be this dog.”

“Alright, honey, just let me file these in.” she said, typing something in her computer. Then she looked at the girl who seemed impatient. “You left it blank for the dog’s name.”

“I’ll decide on a name later.” She said briskly. The girl impatiently tapped her foot on the ground. “Is there anything else?”

“You will receive a free leash, ID collar, dog water and food bowl for having adopted one of our shelter dogs.” , informed the receptionist as she gestured to the readily prepared bag with the label ‘Doggie Bag’ printed on one side sitting on one of the chairs near the entrance of the building. “Hold on, let me call one of our boys to switch to your leash…”

“She doesn’t need a leash.” The Red scarf girl said, walking over to take the bag before leaning over and unclipping Sasha so now she was technically free. The dark-haired girl turned towards Sasha, staring intently. “You’ll follow me right?”

 _As if I had anywhere else to go._ Sasha thought, trying her best to roll her eyes at her.

“Are you sure?” the receptionist asked, looking rather skeptical. “Only obedient dogs may walk without leashes. We aren’t responsible if it runs away as soon as the doors open.”

“I’m sure.” The girl said firmly, glaring at the receptionist. Then turned to Sasha and added, as if to make sure. “Right?”

 _Whatever you say, owner._ sniffed Sasha, feeling her paws itch with excitement and curiosity.

Before the receptionist could respond, the red scarf girl marched out of the building, with the bag in hand. The red scarf girl beckoned for Sasha to follow and the shepherd obediently trotted after her. The receptionist looked in awe as the girl and her new dog disappeared from sight.

For a while, the girl and the dog walked in silence. Sasha felt relieved to walk without being restraint by a leash or such, so she enjoyed the walk. Often times, Sasha stole glances at the red scarf girl as they walked, wondering why she had to single her out from all the other dogs. Coming to a point where they crossed the street, Sasha sat down and nervously watched the passing cars while awaiting for the green light.

“My name is Mikasa Ackerman by the way.” The red scarf girl suddenly said, looking down at her. Sasha looked back, wagging her tail.

 _So you’re Mikasa Ackerman…_ thought Sasha, twitching her ears and turned to look at the blinking red light. _That’s a nice name, I suppose…_

“We’ll talk more when we get home.” Mikasa smiled as the red light finally blinked to green.

-~*~-

Sasha padded after Mikasa into the large apartment on the 8th floor. The apartment was pretty large and quite fancy. The shepherd started to suspect that she had been adopted by a wealthy family.

“Eren, Armin, I’m home.” Mikasa called out into the empty apartment.

Sasha’s ear twitched as he heard a thump and a thin, lanky teenager stumbled out of a room to meet them. The boy was average looking, but had extraordinarily strong green eyes accompanied by a messy wad of ashy-brown hair. A moment later, a short young blonde boy walked out of another room, holding a book.

“Hey Mikasa- woah what do you have there?” Eren asked, looking at Sasha, who blinked back.

“A German Shepherd!” exclaimed Armin, walking over to Sasha and petting her on the head. Sasha wagged his tail in response. “I knew you wanted to get a dog, but I didn’t expect so soon!”

“That’s a big dog.” commented Eren, who warily approached Sasha from a distance.

“Relax, she won’t bite.” Mikasa said, putting the doggie back on a table top.

“What’s her name?” Armin asked excitedly, switching from patting her head to scratching her under the chin.

“I’ll decide later.” Mikasa said, taking off her boots by the door.

While Armin was trying convincing Eren to take a closer look at ‘Mikasa’s new dog’, Sasha took a good look at her surroundings. Apparently she was in the living room, with one side morphing into a kitchen at one point. Walking around the mess of furniture that seemed oddly placed in the apartment, Mikasa made her way to a room on the far side of the living room.

“Come here, girl.” The dark-haired girl called. Sasha instantly turned her head to her, perking her ears, before making her way through the clump of badly placed furniture to Mikasa’s side.

“She’s really obedient!” Armin noted, looking rather surprised.

“I think her name should be Titan.” Eren said. “She’s really big so, it’s like she’s a titan.”

“Maybe.” Mikasa said, opening the door and gesturing Sasha to go in, which she did. “I’m going to shower and then to bed, you guy should too.”

“Alright, good night, Mikasa, Eren.” Armin said, waving to the dark-haired girl. “Good night to you too, doggie!”

“Yea, good night.” Eren added.

Hearing that they acknowledged her, Sasha barked a good night in response, even though she knew fairly well that they wouldn’t understand her anyway. It was nice, maybe she would like it here.

Mikasa’s room was very spacious. It was decorated with beautiful drawings hanged on the wall while a mess of books were stacked in a shelf near a window. Her bed was large, fluffy and comfortable-looking.

“You can sit over there on the blanket on the floor.” Mikasa said, pointing to a fluffy bed that had a light brown blanket tucked in. “I’m going to take a shower first, okay?”

 _Yea, sure…_ barked Sasha, sauntering over to the bed. She instinctively sniffed the bed first before choosing a nice position and sitting down. _That reminds me, I feel like I need a bath myself._

“You can take a bath tomorrow.” Mikasa said, as if she was reading her mind. “But for now, it’s okay right?”

Sasha tilted her head, surprised that Mikasa had somehow read her mind and watched as her new owner disappeared in what she supposed was the shower. Resting her nose on her paws, Sasha observed the room. There was a large photo of Mikasa and the two boys in apartment hanging above the bed. Even though both the boys were happy and smiling, Mikasa had this solemn look on her face. Looking at the nightstand, there was another photo, but this time with a man, a woman, and what looked like young Mikasa.

 _Must be her parents._ thought Sasha. _I don’t sense or smell anyone else here in the apartment…I wonder where they are._

Deciding that she would probably find out the longer she lived with Mikasa, Sasha decided to focus her thoughts at the matter at hand. Not only did Mikasa seemed to single her out of all the other dogs, but did seem like Mikasa could understand her. It was ridiculous unless Mikasa knew how to speak to dogs, which she clearly didn’t because she didn’t talk to any dog, but her. Whining in confusion and probably stress, Sasha stretched out on her side, watching and waiting for Mikasa to come out of the bathroom.

There was a good 30 minutes before Mikasa finally came out in what appeared to be her night shirt and pants. Surprisingly, she was still wearing the red scarf, which Sasha found to be quite odd, considering it wasn’t winter or anything. Sasha watched her owner as she went to dry her hair at the vanity desk that sat nearby. After another 15 minutes of just silence and the buzzing of the hairdryer, Mikasa sighed looked at Sasha.

“I finally found you.” She said softly. Sasha tilted her head when she noticed that Mikasa looked extremely relived. “It took three weeks, but I finally found you.”

 _Please start making sense._ Sasha pleaded silently. _You’re making my head hurt. And how can you understand me anyway?_

“I know this may come as a surprise, but I can totally understand what you’re saying.” Mikasa explained.

 _What? S-s-so all this time, you knew what I was saying?_ Sasha barked, jumping on her paws. Maybe she wasn’t so alone after all. _Can you hear me now?_

“Yes, I can hear you just fine. ” Mikasa said. “I can hear you as long as you direct your thoughts at me, so there’s no need to bark.”

 _So if I think like this, will you understand?_ Sasha said, wagging her tail. _This is so awesome! I thought…after all this time…_

“Wait a second….” She suddenly said, getting up from the vanity desk.

She went to her nightstand and opened a drawer. After rummaging in it, she took out a piece of paper and then went to Sasha, who was now bouncing excitedly around the room. Mikasa crouched down and called Sasha over. The dark-haired girl lifted the paper to her face and Sasha’s eyes widened.

Sasha looked at the happy brunette that was munching on a potato, grinning at the camera. Next to the brunette there was a young boy with a buzz-cut made funny faces at the screen, appearing to be laughing. What surprised her more was the brunette who was grinning at the camera, remnants of the potato around her mouth. There was just no way…no way at all.

 _Connie?_ Sasha stammered in her head _. And t-t-that’s…_

“I had to search for it, but I found this picture on Facebook.” Mikasa said. Then she pointed at the brunette. “But this is you, correct?”

 


	2. My name is Titan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! I'm back with another chapter of Dogs and Red Scarves! Thank you for anyone who read the first chapter and came back :3 Especially the one sweetheart who commented on it~  
> Luvya guys <3
> 
> Just to let you guys know, everything in italics are Sasha's thoughts, in case you mix them up with the other words or something.

_T-t-that's me..._  confirmed Sasha, flattening her ears.  _How did you…_

If she could cry, she would have definitely broken down crying. Dogs couldn't cry, at least in the way humans do emotionally. Sasha could only feel the pain, but could not express it. Feeling her heart burn, she whined before dropping down on her belly, hiding her nose under her paws. The emotions were overwhelming. Seeing her upset, Mikasa began to rub in between her ears.

"Do you remember the accident you were in?" Mikasa asked, pulling up her scarf so most of her face was hidden..

 _What about it?_ Sasha asked, her voice quiet in Mikasa's mind. She still had her nose under her paws..  _Did you read it on the news?_

"Actually…"Mikasa's voice trailed off. "Do you remember who you saved?"

 _Not really._ Sasha responded, pulling up her head to look at Mikasa.  _Everything about it sorta blurry. Like a bad dream or something._

Mikasa tightened her hand into a fist and swallowed. "Could you try?"

 _Sure...I guess._ Sasha squinted trying to rack her memory.

Although confused, Sasha thought back to the accident. Unfortunately, all the memories she had possessed when she was a human were blurry, difficult to remember. One could describe it as looking through stained glass. All faces and memories were jumbled up and distorted; sometimes even beyond recognition. She had trouble remembering her friend's faces, even Connie's. Heck, she couldn't even recall her father's face, which was the most troubling of it all. Sasha almost gave up, but seeing Mikasa's face, she just had to try a little harder. It was a dark-haired girl, right? She was pretty too…and wearing a red scarf. Flashing open her eyes, Sasha stared at Mikasa with disbelief in her eyes.

 _It was you…_  Sasha said, eyes widening in disbelief.  _I saved you…_

"Correct." Mikasa said quietly. It took a moment or two for Sasha to see why the dark haired girl was so upset.

 _It's not your fault, Mikasa._ Sasha said sternly, pawing her arm, trying to get her to look at her face.  _Don't beat yourself over the head with it._

"But you  _died_." Sasha heard her muffle through her scarf. "Haven't you thought about it? Your life is over. All the things you planned to do are gone, because you had to save me."

 _It was my choice, Mikasa._ Sasha barked, the real life noise startling Mikasa enough to look at her. Sasha couldn't help but growl a little as she told Mikasa the next few things.  _I could have just allowed you to get hit, but for reasons I can't tell you now, I decided to help you. It's not your fault, it was my decision and I decided to go through with it. It's none of your concern whether or not I died or not._

Mikasa's face stayed the same as she stared back at Sasha, a rather stoic expressionless look that would probably make Mr. Levi nervous. A moment later, She closed her eyes and sighed tiredly. "I understand, Sasha Braus."

Sasha's ear's perked upon hearing her old name and she instinctively wagged her tail. No one had called her that in a long time. It was really nice having someone call her that after so long. The dog pound employees had called her different things like 'buddy' or 'honey' and things like that, but they never really had given her a proper name. It was nice, really really nice. Maybe there was still a chance as a human.

 _You know my name._ Sasha barked, panting and wagging her tail.

"What kind of person would I be if I didn't know the name of the person who saved my life?" Mikasa said, a slight smirk creeping into her mouth. Then she frowned again, staring at Sasha with serious black eyes. There was a moment of silence. "Thank you, Sasha. For saving my life, I really mean it. I'm forever in your debt.

 _Don't mention it. You kind of saved my life from living in the Dog Pound too. I guess I have to thank you for that._ Sasha tried to smile, but ended up making a rather strange face that Mikasa softly chuckled at.

There was a slight pause.

Mikasa looked thoughtful. "I don't think we should tell anyone about this."

 _What? Me being turned into a dog?_ Sasha said, habitually tilting her head.

"I don't think people would believe me." Mikasa said, standing up and walking towards her bed, sitting on the edge. Sasha obediently followed her. "Plus I don't know how your friends or family would react to you being a dog. I think it's best to keep it a secret for now."

 _Okay._ Sasha said, nodding her head. Back at the pound, Sasha had wondered if someday someone would figure out she was Sasha and had wondered what might've happened then. She was excited by the idea, but it was just a facade of false hope, something to keep her going after the monotonic days stuck in the kennel. Now that she was out of the stuffy place, she realized it probably wasn't a very good idea … _But that means you can't call me Sasha._

"Why not?" Mikasa said, sending the dog a quizzical look. "There's dogs named Sasha in the world, I don't think it would be much a problem."

 _As much as I want to be called by my old name, don't._ Sasha replied thoughtfully.  _If we happen to meet anyone who knew Sasha Braus, I'm afraid you having recently have gotten a dog named Sasha, it would seem disrespectful. Even though you and I don't have a problem with it,_ they _might._

Mikasa blinked, seeming to be considering Sasha's words. "I see, good point." Mikasa fiddled with her red scarf. "What should I call you then?"

 _Didn't your friend, Eren or something, suggest a name?_ Sasha asked, padding to her own bed and sprawling out comfortably in the blankets.

The dark haired girl looked away. "He's not my friend, he's my brother." Mikasa corrected. "I believe he suggested the name, Titan."

 _Your brother?_ Sasha said, flattening her ears in apology.  _Sorry, you don't look much alike._

"It's quite alright. We're foster siblings." Mikasa waved her hand, quickly dismissing the idea. "So what about the name?"

Sasha was tempted to try press further, curious mostly, but even if she didn't ask about it now, she would probably end up finding out later on. If she was going to spend the rest of her life with Mikasa, she was bound to find out. Plus, Sasha didn't feel all to good about asking it now. Here was a dark-haired angel with a red-scarf that saved her from the kennel. Even if Sasha saved her from that fateful accident, asking about Mikasa's past so soon didn't seem like a good idea. Instead, the dog brought her her attention to the name that Eren had suggested earlier.

 _Titan is not bad. It has a nice ring to it._ Sasha said happily, wagging her tail.  _So from now on, my name is Titan, not Sasha, okay?_

"Okay, Titan." A smile tugged Mikasa's lips.

There was a steely ring to the name Titan. Sasha supposed that a powerful name like that would suit a male Doberman or something, but she liked the idea of having that name. It made her seem that she was big and powerful. Well, she was a rather large dog already so it fitted nicely until a person finds out that she's actually a girl. Oh well, she has always been rather tomboyish anyway. Plus, it sounded far away enough from her real name that no one would suspect that she was the reincarnation of a dead girl. Feeling satisfied with that problem out of the way, Sasha decided that it  _was_ an appropriate time to ask how Mikasa managed to locate her.

 _How did you find me?_  Sasha asked, resting her muzzle on top of Mikasa's lap. The girl responded by scratching the patch of fur on her nose. Sasha wagged her tail in response.

"A few days after you were killed, there was a funeral held." Sasha twitched her ear, but didn't say anything. "I wasn't formally invited, but I wanted to go because you were the one that saved my life after all." Mikasa said. She swallowed uncomfortably. "I got to meet all your friends. Some told me about how you were before you died and lamented that you died. Some of them seemed… really cross with me…"

Sasha growled, a bit to herself and a bit to those friends who were 'really cross'. It wasn't Mikasa's fault and she wished she could've told her friends her drastic decision.

 _Don't beat yourself over that again._ Sasha said, snorting in contempt.  _They may be angry, but remember I was the one who died, not them. If anyone should be angry, it should be me, but I'm not. Just continue._

"After the funeral, I started having this incredible heartache." Mikasa continued, acknowledging Sasha's request. "Perhaps it was guilt, but I feel that it was too painful to be normal. During my sleep, I started having dreams, flashes of the girl who saved me. Soon the girl was replaced by a dog. I tried to continue my life normally, but I kept hearing the faint barking and fractured thoughts." She looked a bit frustrated. "Eventually I figured out those were my savior's thoughts and barking; your thoughts and barking."

 _So you went to find me._  Sasha concluded. She hadn't known that her frantic barking the first few weeks was actually heard by anyone. In fact, the dog hoped that Mikasa wasn't able to get anything coherent out of her thoughts. That would be embarassing.  _You said earlier that it took three weeks for you to find me._

"Yes, sorry it took so long." Mikasa said, hanging her head slightly in apology. "I had spent time going to different shelters and pet stores, trying to find you. Today I finally pinpointed your whereabouts to Homes for Doggies, the name of the shelter you were in. When I heard you speak to me with your thoughts, I knew it was you."

 _And to find me, you had to scare half the dogs at the kennel._ Sasha said, amused.

She shrugged. "I wasn't very good with dogs before." Mikasa replied sheepishly. "Every time a dog and I locked eyes, I would scare them away, though it never really happened with people. I figured that if I find the dog that isn't afraid of me, it'd be you, because you were still human. That and hearing your thoughts."

 _That seems like a really unethical method for the other dogs if you ask me._ Sasha sniffed.

"Perhaps it was." The dark haired girl, lifted her hand to scratch Sasha's head. "But I don't really care. All I care is that I finally found you."

The girl and the dog stayed that position for a long time. Sasha locked eyes with Mikasa, wondering what she was thinking. Her face was firm, unreadable, with black eyes that seemed to threaten anyone who dare hurt anyone she loved. Sasha could only guess that she had been through a lot, especially the past month. There was really no other explanation for the reason why Mikasa looked and seemed like a rather cold person. Another thing that Sasha noted was that she was quite pretty, much prettier than an average girl Sasha has ever met. Sasha wondered what it would have been like if she had known Mikasa before her death. Yawning, Sasha began to close her eyes in fatigue.

"Let's go to sleep." Mikasa said, standing up, startling Sasha awake. "I like to sleep and wake up early."

 _We'll be great friends then._ Sasha said. Strangely, she has always been a morning person, which Connie found utterly disgusting. There was a pang of pain in her heart as she remembered her friend. She wondered what he was doing now and whether or not he was thinking of her.

Walking to the side of her bed, where the light switch was located, Mikasa switched off the lights and instantly the room was enveloped in darkness. Sasha had her dog night vision, so she could see almost perfectly as she could in the light. Everything was very much the same. Something she noticed as a dog is that everything was a shade of blue and brown. Even though she could still remember colors like Red and Yellow from her distorted memory, she couldn't see them anymore. She hadn't known that dogs were  _this_ type of colorblind. Sasha had always assumed it was black and white. Despite her different perspective of vision, it felt  _normal_ enough that the canine didn't notice the difference. Her eyes quickly adjusted th the darkness and Sasha twitched her ears as Mikasa moved around in bed, the shuffling of sheets and pillows ringing in her ears.

_Hey, Mikasa?_

There was a slight paus. "What?"

_You can call me Sasha if we're alone or something….I like hearing my real name. Like maybe once in a while…I mean, if you want to of course._

There was an extended pause.

"Alright….Good night…Sasha."

Sasha smiled in her mind. She wondered if Mikasa could feel it too.

_Good night, Mikasa._

-~*~-

In the next few days, Sasha found herself to be quite content with her new life with Mikasa. The dog had been correct in her assumptions that she would find out about Mikasa's past when she started living here. Apparently, Mikasa, Eren, and Armin lived alone together after somehow all their parents had died in a series of unfortunate events. Currently, they were under custody of Armin's very distant, but fairly wealthy, Aunt. She had become their legal guardian after Eren's parents, presumably the ones who were last to pass away. Apparently, once a month or so, she would come to visit to check on them, but most of the time, the three were on their own. Armin's Aunt was a well known make-up artist and had to be out of the country very often. She couldn't scrounge much information about this supposed Aunt from Mikasa.

Armin has been extraordinarily friendly to her. The blonde seemed happy to have her around and never seemed intimidated by her at all. His cheery presence often made her happy too. At breakfast, lunch, and dinner times, Armin was awfully generous about sharing his meals with her. Mikasa had asked her politely not to beg for food because she felt that Armin and Eren were underweight as it is, but Sasha couldn't turn down an offer that  _they_ made. He would often times feeding her scraps of food to her, which happily accepted much to MIkasa's dismay. Sometimes, upon seeing her, Armin would call her name and ask her to come over. If she did, he would scratch her head until she got bored and walked away. If she didn't, he smiled anyway and would either continue doing what he doing or he would come to her to pet her. She also really liked sitting by his feet while he read stories. On occasion, he would actually read to her. Sasha could still read herself, but her lack of apposable thumbs made things like reading much more difficult; so having Armin read to her sometimes was an enjoyable passtime. Sometimes, when Mikasa and Eren disappeared somewhere, she and Armin would visit the coffee shop, where they would sit on one of the tables outside. She would lie down and sleep by Armin's feet while he studied or read books.

Eren on the other hand was a little bit harder to socialize with in her opinion. Although Eren seemed proud of the fact that he indirectly named her Titan, he seemed a little nervous to be around her, probably because she was a pretty big dog. Mikasa said that her adopted brother had a slight affinity towards large objects and creatures. The dark-haired scarf girl seemed upset when telling her this tidbit about information, so the German Shepard didn't ask. They rarely interacted much on a daily basis. However, on the weekends, Eren would go play on his Xbox or PS4. Sasha would sit on the couch next to him and would watch. To be quite honest, Sasha thought Eren was one of the worst gamers she had ever seen. She and Connie had played so many games in the past, she herself had become quite good at it. Gaming was a fun passtime that she was going to miss doing. Paws don't make for great substitutes for hands. Consoles were almost useless to her, except for chewing maybe, but Eren would never forgive her if she had chewed his PS4 console. Sasha knew how expensive it was and would sympathize if she had found it broken one day. The canine would just have to settle for watching Eren play. It was almost tiring a for her to watch Eren monotonically repeat the stages, but one things for sure, it was definitely funny seeing Eren raging. His determination usually pulled through and when he did finally complete a level, Sasha would celebrate with him.

Mikasa was the one Sasha found herself mostly hanging around with. Every morning, the two would wake up early and go for a light jog around the apartment. Jogging around the block was refreshing. For some reason, she seemed to be much more energetic as a canine. She could easily keep up with Mikasa without expending too much energy, so running around, even aimlessly, was a fun thing to doo. During the weekend, Mikasa would work on her homework, in which Sasha would often rest nearby watching TV, reading or browse the internet, with Mikasa's help though. Sasha still had to get used to doing stuff as a dog.. Something Sasha noticed was that Mikasa never seemed to take off her red scarf. She didn't know why and every time she tried asking her about it, the dark haired girl would shut her down, telling her that there will be a time and place for that. Sasha guessed it was connected to her past. The dog had overheard one time that Eren was the one who gave her it.

The food was definitely better. As it turns out, Mikasa was a pretty good cook. Although Sasha was sure that she could probably cook better when she was a human. Sometimes Sasha would throw in a tip or two to help make it taste better. Mikasa seemed irritated at first, but soon learned that Sasha knew what she was doing and that following her advise would lead to better meals for her 'family'.

"You know a lot of things about cooking." Mikasa whispered to her one day when she was preparing dinner.

 _Yea…cooking was my hobby, you know, before..._ Sasha said, sniffing the air.  _Stew a bit more and add some more curry cubes. It smells like the curry is too watery_ _._

Mikasa nodded her head and followed Sasha's instructions exactly. She stirred the contents in the pot and added more curry cubes into the mix. Sasha had watched intently, feeling somewhat jealous that she was no longer able to cook. At least, she could teach and watch Mikasa how to cook. That was almost good right?

 _I wanted to become a chef when I grew up._ Sasha reminisced. She had wanted so badly to become a worldwide Chef. She had the talent for it too, says everyone.

"I see…" A grim expression crept into Mikasa's face. Sasha stopped wagging her tail, fearful that she had something to upset her friend, but then the red scarf smiled and looked at the dog that lied down near her feet on the kitchen floor. "I bet you would've been a great cook, the best maybe."

 _Thank you._ Sasha had said, wagging her tail.  _I think I would've too._

Weekdays were the time that Sasha felt the loneliest. Mikasa, Eren, and Armin all had to go to school on the weekdays. Fortunately, she wasn't confined to the apartment by herself. Armin had installed a special chip in her collar that would open the automatic dog door, allowing her to go outside the apartment. At lunchtime, an automatic dog food dispenser would activate at a designated time. Even though the dog decided that she hated dog food, she was so hungry that she didn't mind it on the weekdays. Sometimes, Mikasa would mix a bit of leftovers into her food to make it more appetizing to her. Sasha was tall enough to push the buttons on the elevator by standing on her hind legs and with her paws, so she didn't have to worry about using the stairs. It was funny, riding an elevator with a dog, so she had become well known by other apartment residents as 'the dog that uses the elevator'. The thought of using the flight of stairs was exhausting to her, despite the fact that she had a lot of energy. The dog could go wherever she pleased, as long as she wore a collar to indicate that she had an owner. If she didn't, she would be confined to a kennel again until Mikasa came to go get her again, which the latter was not fond of doing. Because of her frequent appearances around the place, Sasha became quite popular around the neighborhood, especially with the kids who enjoy tugging her ears and tail. She loved to visit the elementary kid's school yard during lunchtime. Kids love giving her snacks and their teacher has gotten fond of her too.

Sasha would first follow the three to their school Wall Maria High (WMH for short) and waited at the gate of the school until they were out of sight. She had met many other students at their school, some of them calling her the new 'Hachiko', which she silently hoped that she wouldn't end up having the same fate as him. During school hours, Sasha wandered about the neighborhood, exploring new areas, meeting the people. Mikasa's neighborhood was considerably wealthier and rather nice looking. She had considered traveling back to her former house and to her own school, but she figured that it was too far from where she lived now and that she wasn't sure how her emotions are going to react to seeing her old life in person. Plus, in her heart, she wanted to leave all that behind, but she knew that one day, Sasha would have to confront everything about her past. There  _was_ a reason why she came back right? She decided that she would go try to interact with her old life as soon as she felt ready and strong enough. At three in the late afternoon, when her owner's school ended, Sasha would wait by the gate and would joyfully reunite with the trio upon seeing them.

No, life was good. Sasha wasn't really planning to try to learn what had happened in her old life after she left. Even though she was dying to know how everyone was faring in her old life without her, she really felt safe and content around Mikasa, Eren, and Armin. To be truthfully honest, she was sort of afraid to find out.

Fortunately or not, fate has it's way around these kind of things. And so Sasha and Mikasa's blissful living came to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the fairly short chapter ^^"  
> This was sort of a filler chapter, to get everything set up for the BIG THING happening next chapter, evidenced by the little teaser/cliff hanger at the end.
> 
> I actually already written out the next chapter, but I want to make it perfect, because its going to be a real doozy. I actually might post it in the next few days.
> 
> Anyways, thank you again for sticking with me!  
> *kisses good-bye*  
> See you later, darlings!  
> Jae


	3. The Kendo Competition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, darlings!  
> Nice if you to come back <3 Thanks for all the views and nice comments (on here, tumblr, and FanFiction.net)!  
> I was going to upload this like three days ago, but I couldn't find the time to do so. I have some free time now, so I decided to use it to upload this chapter. 
> 
> I should stop talking, go ahead and read the chapter :3

This week was the annual Kendo Competition. At certain moments, Mikasa and Eren would disappear without reason and she would have to spend the day with Armin or herself. As it turns out, the times that Mikasa and Eren were missing, they were at Kendo practice.  _Usually_  Armin would have gone with them to watch, but Mikasa requested that he stayed home and took care of Sasha. For some stupid reason, dogs weren't allowed at Kendo Practice, despite being animals being allowed on school grounds (on a leash or cage however). Perhaps it was the teacher's irrational fear of dogs. She had found out one morning when Mikasa was cleaning up her Kendo gear in her room. Sasha was at first was frustrated to find out that Mikasa hasn't told her about the kendo club, but Mikasa had reasoned that she had might have felt jealous for not being able to go with her, mainly because of the fact that the dog and the girl rarely spent time apart. The dark haired girl had tried convincing her instructor to allow her dog to come, but he had respectively refused. Although annoyed at the fact that Mikasa treated her like some sort of child, Sasha had begrudgingly accepted her apology and explanation, but tried to avoid Mikasa the rest of the day. Of course she was mad, it was so  _illogical_ of Mikasa to treat her as if she was a  _child._

After finally cornering Sasha in the evening, Mikasa told Sasha that she was allowed to watch the Kendo competition. It was going to be hosted at the School's gym. The other team was visiting this time. Overjoyed, Sasha had impulsively tackled her owner, and licked Mikasa's face until she realized what she was doing. Stopping, Sasha felt her face glow in embarrassment.

 _Sorry…_ Sasha whimpered apologetically, stepping off her owner. Just a tad bit embarrassed  _I think my dog side took over for a moment._

"That's alright." Mikasa smiled back, wiping Sasha's slobber off of her face. "I don't mind you doing that, but a little warning would be nice."

If Sasha could blush, she bet she would have. Fortunately, as a dog, Mikasa couldn't see her cheeks practically glowing red, not that her furry cheeks could anyway. Even though her owner couldn't see her pink cheeks, Sasha felt her face burning, almost as if it was going to burn off the fur on her face. How embarrassing was it to lick someone's face as a dog? It was almost like kissing! She had " _kissed_ " Mikasa! So with her tail in-between her legs, Sasha high tailed out of there, eventually deciding to hide behind the couch, where Eren was busy playing games with Armin contently watching. Armin glanced at her worriedly, but the dog ignored his question asking whats wrong. Sasha was flustered, that was what. She was a dog, behavior like that was absolutely  _normal_ , she  _shouldn't_  be embarrassed. However, unlike normal dogs, Sasha still had her human mind. She could think and act like a regular human. Acting like this was an embarrassment, to her, and probably Mikasa.

"Agh!" Eren's loud sudden shout, startled Sasha, causing her to yelp in shock, yanking her out of her thoughts. "I almost had it that time! I'm going to kill them all! Those stupid dang Gremlins!"

"Take it easy, Eren. I'm sure you'll get it next time." His friend said, trying to calm Eren down, who was about to smash the controller on the table. "You scared Titan."

Hearing her name and Eren's rage, Sasha poked her head from behind the couch curiously, only to find Eren staring with a rather murderous look on his face. His titan green eyes pierced through Sasha's heart and suddenly the dog felt extremely vulnerable and weak. So doing what she felt best, Sasha retreated backinto the space between the couch and the wall, whining uncomfortably. After a moment, Eren's face slowly appeared at the opening, his eyes still having that rather crazed look, but he looked somewhat calmer.

"Hey Titan…" Eren coaxed slowly and Sasha instinctively growled. "Hey…um, look, I didn't mean to look at you like that…I'm not going to  _kill_  you or anything. Just those gremlins."

There was something about Eren that Sasha always felt uneasy about. Every time Eren got angry, his face disturbingly oddly resembled a murderous cold-blooded killer. Well, she never saw one before, but she watched several Horror Movies to make the comparison. The way his eyes shone, it almost as if he has  _really killed people_  before. Even though Sasha enjoyed finding entertainment in Eren raging during video games, when getting eye contact with him when he's angry, she could feel herself shirk back. Thank goodness Eren was a little intimidated by her too. Being a large dog had it's moments.

 _Uh, no._ Sasha growled bluntly, showing her sharp canine teeth.  _I think I'll stay here thank you very much._

"It's no good." She heard Eren say, a little exasperated. "She's not coming out."

"Maybe you can crawl in there and try to get her to come out." Armin suggested.

"Are you kidding me? She's going to bite my hand off!" Eren said exasperated. There was a slight pause and a series of approaching footsteps. Oh no. "Oh hey Mikasa, can you-"

A friendly face poked through the opening behind the couch. It was Mikasa alright. Sasha's uneasiness and fear was quickly replaced by shame. Since Mikasa was the only one who knew that 'Titan' was actually Sasha's reincarnation, acting this childishly was shameful. Feeling her face burn once again, Sasha retreated backwards, covering her nose with her paws. This was just not a good day for her social pride. Not that she had much anyway.

"Hey,  _Titan_." Mikasa said sternly, yet a there was a kindness to her tone. "Come out will you?"

 _I don't want to._ Sasha barked back, pouting. She was still kinda mad at Mikasa for keeping the secret from her and uneasy with Eren being so tedious at the moment.

"Come on, Sasha." She whispered softly, not loud enough for Armin or Eren to hear her, but loud enough for Sasha to pick up with her canine hearing. "Don't be this way."

Hearing her human name, Sasha's ears instantly perked. After a moment or two of thought, Sasha flattened her ears, giving Mikasa a look. Sighing in defeat, Sasha allowed herself to be won over by Mikasa's sweet talk and crawled back to the entrance. A gentle hand greeted her as well as a short session of being pat on the head. Leaning against, the dark-haired girl's leg, Sasha wagged her tail, enjoying the feeling of being petted. She was getting used to be a dog, it was really easy-going, other than listening to her owners there was barely any worries that she needed tending too. No homework, no studying, no school, no tests. She was a dog, someone to be played with and looked after. What a life. Looking up at Mikasa, Sasha knew that no matter what case it was, she was always going to obey the girl with the red scarf. Even if she didn't want to.

-~*~-

Mikasa and Eren had left hours earlier, to prepare for the competition that afternoon. That left Armin and Sasha alone at the apartment. Sasha obediently watched as Armin prepared a video camera, probably to record his friends for the memories, and placed it in a bag he was bringing. Armin was always the one to treasure memories. She doesn't spend much time in Armin's room, but he had a whole filled with Hard Drives filled with photos and videos telling of the past. He had almost every important moment documented. Good, that mean Sasha wouldn't forget anything else. Armin also placed a bag of dried jerky, which was probably to feed to Sasha if she couldn't sit still. Sasha could only scoff, if only Armin knew.

Sasha uneasily watched as Armin clipped on the leash to her collar. She had been told by Mikasa earlier that she was allowed to come, as long as she was on a leash. Even so, Sasha tried to argue, telling Mikasa that she was probably the most intelligent and obedient dog on the planet, maybe the whole universe, and that she won't do anything drastic. Despite agreeing Mikasa shut down all of her attempts to reason; the judges and audience didn't know she was a reincarnation of a human. And so she was wearing a leash, just for today. After so long without wearing it, now wearing a leash felt demeaning, but yet she was a dog. It was all in her head. She might as well try to get used to it.

"We're going to see Mikasa and Eren in the Junior Kendo Competition, Titan." Armin explained softly as they entered into the elevator. "Are you excited?"

 _Of course._ Sasha barked a few times in reply, wagging her tail.

"Be sure to cheer them on." The blonde said, as the elevator doors open. He began walking out and Sasha followed.

 _You know I will._ Sasha silently assured, tail still wagging.

It took about twenty minutes to get to school and the entrance was already bustling with people. Sasha winced, feeling intimidated by the large crowds. Crowds have never been a problem when she was human; probably because she was pretty tall for a high school girl. She towered over most of the girls in her class and a portion of the boys. She could always see over everyone's head. As a dog, she was much shorter than the crowd and a dog's eye view in a large group of people was a tad bit frightening. There was also a bout of unsettling uneasiness that seemed to overwhelm her the moment she had stepped on School Grounds. It made her nervous. It was like it was telling her that something imminently dangerous was going to happen soon. Unsure of her feelings, Sasha whined uneasily.

"It's okay, Titan." Armin said, tugging the leash, coaxing Sasha a little closer to him. He leaned over, giving Sasha a brief pat on the head. "Let's just go inside and find a seat."

_Bark._

Swallowing, Sasha followed Armin as they weaved through the crowd. Sasha felt like she was drowning in a sea of unfamiliar scents and sounds. As a dog, she could smell things much more sharply than she could as a human. Even as a human, she was quite acute in her sense of smell and hearing, Connie deemed it a super power of hers, especially when it came to food. It was a great plus when it came to hunting, which Sasha once did on her spare time. Now though, it was overwhelming and it was almost a relief to finally make it to the gym. The gym was quite large, so the scents weren't as strong as they were in the crowd, making Sasha feel a little more relaxed. It wasn't that dense and she could easily ignore the unwanted smells. There were seats in the left and right side, one side titled home, the other side titled Visitor. Her blonde owner led the way to the Home side, where they took the front seat so Sasha could sit on the floor. Sitting on the bleachers could be troublesome for a dog. The brown canine peered over at the visitor's side, wondering which school they were up against.

 _Trost District High._ Sasha read aloud in her mind. It took a moment or two for Sasha to realize. Her heart jumped in joy.

Trost District High was Sasha's high school.  _Her high school. Can you believe it?_ What a giant coincidence for her to watch a competition between Mikasa's school and  _her_ school. Sasha felt the blood pumped in her ears, her heart beat quickening as she tried to search for familiar faces in the crowd. Her friends! Where are her friends!? She whipped her head back and forth, frantically searching, searching. She didn't look for anyone in particular. Just anyone-anyone she could recognize, please…She scanned the crowd over and over. Checking, Double Checking, Triple checking…

Connie wasn't here, Sasha decided disappointingly. Now that she thought about it, he and Sasha weren't very interested in Kendo and had only attended one Kendo match when they were in middle school to get some service hours. To be honest, she and Connie almost fell asleep before the match even started. There was nothing particularly entertaining about two individuals swinging a bamboo stick at the slowest pace in the world. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a boy with a rather long face entering the gym in a headless kendo suit.

 _Jean!_ Sasha barked happily, startling Armin who was taking out the video camera. She hopped on for legs and wagging her tail. She could barely contain her excitement and happiness. What are the odds that you see your old friends after your death? The happiness only grew when Jean was joined by a dark-haired freckled boy.  _Marco! It's Jean and Marco! Guys! I'm over here! It's me! Sasha!_

Sasha yapped happily, trying to run towards them, earning a sharp tug from her leash. She was snapped back to reality. Armin, who looked at her sternly, tightly grasped her leash. Sasha slowly turned around to face the blonde, who had a rather disappointed look on his face. She sheepishly lowered her head.

"Titan, lie down." He ordered firmly. Sasha flattened her ears, looking hesitantly back at Armin and back at Jean and Marco. "I know you're excited, but please try to stay still. You don't want Mikasa to get into trouble won't you? She did a lot for you to get her."

 _B-But..but…I know…_ Sasha sighed, sinking onto her belly, resting her muzzle on her nose. She longingly watched Jean and Marco, who were having a conversation she couldn't really make out from this far away, even with her ears. There was just too much noise and distance. She whined, wishing they would just recognize her and talk with her again. It's been so long.  _It's just that…I miss them._

Seeing how the dog seemed depressed, Armin's eyes softened. He reached into his bag and rummaged around a bit. He took out a piece of Jerky, which he offered to her with one hand. Sasha curiously looked at the blonde and then noticed the jerky in his hand.

"Here, eat this." Armin smiled comfortingly, making Sasha feel a little better. "Maybe it'll calm you down."

 _Thank you._ Sasha gently took the jerky between her teeth, careful not to bite the blonde's hand by accident. She placed the jerky between her paws, sniffing it disinterestedly. She quickly snapped it up, trying to savor the taste of the dried meat on her tongue. Usually, she would really enjoy the tender feel of jerky in her mouth, but right now, she was too upset to enjoy the meat properly. Instead, she put her head on her paws and silently watched her two friends from afar. Eventually they disappeared from view, probably to prepare for the competition. The loud booming voice nearly made her jump out of her skin.

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Junior Kendo Competition between Wall Maria High and Trost District High" A loud voice boomed. Sasha perked her ears towards the loudspeaker that was located near the corners of the gym. It was way too loud in her opinion, but she could handle it. The crowd instantly quieted down. "Thank you all for coming! And so without further ado, let the competition begin! For the first round, we have Eren Jaegar representing Wall Maria High and Jean Kirschstein from Trost District High. Contestants, please step up the platform."

 _Interesting..._ Sasha thought to herself.

Sasha watched curiously as two familiar figures walked onto the platform. The person on the right side of the platform was Eren, who donned his murderous look, which was clearly visible through the protective mesh of the Kendo mask. On the left was Jean, who seemed to have copied Eren's look and was baring his teeth at him. Jean was a little closer to her now and she could see him slightly clearer. Sasha wagged her tail, hoping that Jean would notice her. He didn't of course; Sasha didn't know what to expect, but she still felt disappointed. Even if he did look at her, he probably wouldn't recognize her at all. She felt her heart sink in sadness, but wouldn't let herself look away. She was still curious of the outcome.

Eren and Jean both stiffly bowed, both struggling to suppress their snarky remarks, Sasha guessed. The dog wondered if there was an incredible history of rivalry between them that she didn't know about. It wouldn't be surprising if they did, Jean never talked much about his life to her, let alone what competition he joined on his spare time. Perhaps as a human, Sasha had suspected that Jean joined competitions and had tried to ask Marco about it. She couldn't really remember clearly of her life as a human. Maybe he lost a lot and was too embarrassed to tell her, though Sasha wouldn't really be surprised. In fact, she wouldn't even be surprised if she had possibly run into Mikasa, Eren, and Armin when she was a human and had forgotten about it. She pushed her thoughts away to concentrate on the match.

"Start!"

Both Eren and Jean rushed at each other, yelling at the top of their lungs. Sasha hasn't seen Eren's strength and fury at the same time, so this was a frightening, yet very interesting experience. Sasha noted that even though the two seemed like they were really at it, they bore similar expressions. Even though they seemed like enemies, they had quite a lot alike. In the past, she and Jean would argue with each other, one time challenging each other to a cooking competition, which she had unfortunately lost due to her overconfidence. Even so, Jean had been a good sport about it and never teased her about it like she expected him too. The dog silently wondered what Jean thought of her death. Did he miss her?

" _Men_!" Eren shouted, slamming his bamboo stick onto Jean's head.

A whistle pierced through the tension and both fighters abruptly stopped, freezing in their position, breathing heavily. Sasha chuckled, remembering that during Kendo, a person must shout the place they were going to hit, before they actually hit the spot. Sasha and Connie thought it was a stupid rule. What was the point of fighting if you were going to tell the enemy what you were going to do? They could have the chance to block and therefore make the fight useless. Even so, Sasha couldn't help, but feel happy for Eren, even though she felt a twinge of pity for Jean. If he had found that out, he would have probably snapped at her.

"Eren Jeagar has won by first scored two points! He will proceed to the next round!" the announcer boomed.

"Yay Eren won!" Armin cheered, smiling and laughing. He looked at Sasha. "All that practice finally paid off!" Sasha sniffed indignantly. Too bad she never saw those practices.

On the other hand, Jean looked like he was going to charge at Eren and knock him over, but instead he bowed and briskly left the platform, leaving Eren to gloat in his victory. Sasha couldn't help, but feel sorry Jean as he exited the gym, followed by Marco, who had a worried expression on his face. At least she could count on Marco to cheer him up right? But now there was no chance for her to catch up with them. Even as a dog. Feeling depressed, Sasha decided to focus her attention in the competition.

As the match droned on, Sasha couldn't really find herself paying much attention to the rest Kendo fighters, especially when most of the fighters are people she didn't know. Instead, she managed to pick out more of her old friends. Well, maybe 'friend' is not the right word. She had spotted Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt, the infamous senior trio that always seemed to be together. Sasha wasn't very close with any of them, although she knew Reiner slightly better because he was Connie's role model. Annie had bullied her a bit about that one time she was caught eating a steamed potato in class, but Bertholdt had made sure that it never really got out of hand, so Sasha wasn't the least bit bothered by it. It was sort of painful to see her old life function without her. Perhaps she hasn't gotten over her death after all.

Finally the moment that she waited for came up.

"For the next round, we have Mikasa Ackerman from World Maria High and Annie Leonhardt from Trost District High. Contestants, please go to the platform!"

Sasha eyed her owner as she made a grand appearance. The crowd in the Home side cheered and Sasha couldn't help, but bark along and wag her tail. Sasha could have sworn that Mikasa glanced at her and smiled as she was on the platform. On the other side, the crowd was cheering for Annie. Sasha had never seen Mikasa fight before, so she really didn't know what to expect from her. Annie on the other hand, was probably the most proficient fighter Sasha has ever known. Even though she might be a little short for her age, she could practically demolish people three times her size. She was one of those 'girls'. Sasha wondered if Mikasa was the same because of the fact that her personality slightly similar to that of Annie's.

The dog observed Annie, who was holding her kendo sword with great confidence, although seemed ever so slightly lop-sided in her opinion. Then a sharp feeling stabbed her in the back of her mind and she became alert. Feeling her heart quicken, she stood up on all four paws again, tugging a bit on the leash that Armin was holding back.

"Titan, down!" Armin scolded, pulling the leash. Sasha felt herself gag a little as her collar tightened around her neck, but she refused to be pulled back. "Sit!"

Glaring at Annie's kendo sword, Sasha felt a growl creep into her throat. Her danger meter was going off the charts. Something was  _wrong_ , there had to be. Something was warning her. She took a closer look and noticed that the way Annie was holding her sword; it was a bit off, disproportionate. There was no reason for Annie to be holding it  _that_ way, right? Annie was strong; there was no way she would be holding a  _light_  bamboo stick like that, right? Sasha uneasily began to pull against her leash, growling louder, catching the attention of the people sitting nearby.

"Mommy, what's wrong with the doggie?" Sasha heard a child ask from somewhere behind her.

"I don't know, sweetie." The voice answered, a bit nervous. "Maybe it's just excited?"

Sasha watched nervously as Mikasa and Annie bowed, before giving each other the mother of all death glares. Mikasa could be scary when she wanted to be. Again, the dog took a step forward, earning a sharp tug from Armin.

"Titan!" Armin commanded, a little weakly. He sharply tugged the leash, making Sasha stagger a bit, but she pulled forward, holding back coughs of the collar tightening around her throat. "Down, girl!"

The dark haired girl didn't seem to notice the commotion her dog was making on her side. Instead, she seemed completely absorbed at eyeing her opponent down. Mikasa and Annie got into position, pointing the kendo swords at each other, Annie still a tiny bit skewed to the left. Sasha eyes widened, baring his teeth at the sword Annie was carrying.

"Start!"

Deciding it was now or never, with all her might, Sasha wretched free from Armin, who shouted in shock, the leash tearing out of his hands. She bolted towards the platform. Shouts of surprise and fear rippled through the crowd as she gracefully leaped onto the platform. With an animalistic lunge, Sasha snagged the blonde girl's kendo sword in her mouth.

**\- WINGS OF FREEDOM -**

Mikasa took a step back when she saw a blur of brown fur whirl in front of her and tackled her opponent's kendo sword. It took her a moment to register what she was seeing in front of her. Sasha? What was she doing here? Why did she attack Annie?

"Sa–er …Titan?" Mikasa lowered her sword in confusion. "What are you doing?"

In response, Sasha began to trying to tug Annie's kendo sword out of the girl's grasp. Feeling irritated, the blonde tried to rip the sword out the dog's mouth, but the canine remained steadfast. Sasha met Annie's ferocious and angry eyes. Mikasa watched as the dog pitifully began to tremble, but had bravely hung on. Shouts of confusion and terror echoed throughout the gym.

"Titan!" Armin was running towards the platform. "Come back!"

"This is your dog?" Annie said to Mikasa, locking her gaze with Sasha. The dog flattened her ears growling menacingly. "Make her let go.  _Now._ "

 _I'm not letting this go, Mikasa._ The dark haired girl heard Sasha's stern growl in her head.

"Someone get that dog off the stage!" Mikasa heard someone scream out. "It's going to hurt the contestants!"

"No, she won't!" Armin shouted back, a little annoyed, but confused, shocked, and perhaps afraid. He turned to Sasha. "Titan, come here, girl! It's alright, it's just a competition! It's not real!"

"Titan, let go." Mikasa scolded her again, fear constricting her voice. Then in a firmer tone again. "Titan, let go."

 _I can't. Not._ Sasha's voice echoed, drenched in fear and panic.  _I won't!_

With that heartbreaking shout, Mikasa watched as Sasha, with renewed energy, painstakingly pulled backwards, falling back in the process. She staggered back onto her feet, the bamboo in her mouth as she stared tiredly at what Annie had in her hand. The blonde watched with terror as noticed that the bamboo kendo sword in her hand had been replaced by a steel sword, a real sharp sword, one that can actually  _kill_ people. Upon the realization, Annie retreated her hand back, as if the sword was poisonous, making it clatter noisily on the platform. Shouts of gasps echoed through all so sudden quiet gym.

"…T-t-that's a real sword…" Armin said under his breath. He took a step back and nervously began to edge closer to Mikasa. "Mikasa, you could've...you could've..."

"What's going on?" Annie demanded, turning to look at the referee with a deathly stare. "Why is there a real sword inside my kendo sword? It's supposed to be all bamboo!"

The referee just stared in shock and awe at the now revealed real sword. Unsure what to do, he blew the whistle and signaled for the match to be called off.

"The dog saved Mikasa!" a person shouted from the home side. It sounded like the mother of the child earlier.

Initiated by the random shout, the gym erupted into disarray as everyone had begun shouting nonsensically. Mikasa noticed Eren coming to Armin's side, who was on his knees, hyperventilating in fear. On the other hand, Reiner and Bertholdt cautiously approached Annie who was still questioning the referee, who was scared out of his wits by the angry girl. She kept asking why there was a real sword hidden inside her kendo sword. Unfortunately, the poor referee didn't know and did his best to try calm the angry girl down.

"Mikasa?" The girl didn't turn to look at Eren who was worriedly looking up at her from off the platform. "Are you okay? Mikasa?"

Eren's voice didn't reach her. Instead, Mikasa looked at Sasha, eyes widening. The dog was still snarling at the sword, protectively standing in front of her. She was panting terribly and she could see a few drops of blood on the ground below where Sasha's muzzle was. The dark haired girl dropped her own kendo sword as dread seemed to overflow her. Sasha flinched at the sound of the kendo sword being dropped behind her, but the canine didn't move from her position in front of her. Sasha was still bent on protecting her. Mikasa felt the sting of tears in the corner of her eyes as the dread transformed into panic and guilt. It didn't come from the fact that she could of died today by Annie's hand. The panic and guilt came from the fact that she could of died today by Annie's hand, but Sasha saved her again. 

_Again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter :3  
> It was extremely fun to write to be honest, it's even keeping me on edge! I had no idea how great writing MikaSasha fics are, I should of written this a long time ago!  
> I've already started on the next chapter, but don't expect it to come out until next week or something of the sort~
> 
> Catcha later~  
> Jae


	4. A Small trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO. I AM NOT DEAD.  
> I actually had a writer's block for this chapter for along time and it kinda transformed into procrastination oops ^^"
> 
> I just typed up this long juicy chapter up and decided to upload it, in case I find time not to post it again :P  
> Anyways, enjoy this nice long chapter! You guys who waited sure deserve it :3

“The police are already on the case to find the one who hid the sword in the bamboo sword.” Armin informed the individuals that were lazing around the couch. He had a laptop on his lap. “Until further notice, WMH will be closed due to investigation and probably won’t reopen until a week from now. They’re worried that this is the work of terrorist attack.”

“There has been a lot of terrorist activity lately.” Mikasa commented, turning the page in her book.

“More holidays, huh?” Eren said, swinging the Wii remote around. “It’s been almost a week already, can’t school reopen already?”

“I thought you like holidays, Eren.” chuckled Armin.

“It’s starting to get a bit boring.” Eren replied.  Then he smiled a little. “Plus, I bet Titan can scare off the terrorists. She already took down their plan too.”

Wagging her tail proudly, Sasha barked happily, which Eren responded with a smile and thumbs up. Obviously, boasting about how his dog managed to save his sister was not out of his league.  Armin and Mikasa could only laugh and watch his childish competitive antics.

“Did you finish your homework?” Mikasa asked, closing her book and giving her brother a stern look, similar to how a mother would scold her son.

“I finished it the day I got it.” scoffed Eren, nodding knowingly.

 _Show off._ Sasha sniffed. She earned a light prick of the finger on her head from Mikasa. She snorted, shaking her pelt. _You should stop babying him, Mikasa. My dad never did that to me._

After earning another prick and she looked away from Mikasa, pretending to ignore her owner.  Mikasa gave a small smile and petted her head again.

Sasha found this to be extremely strange, but as much as Eren is a hardcore gamer, he is probably the most hard-working student she ever met besides Armin and maybe Marco. His grades were on par with Mikasa and although they did not exceed the perfect A’s that Armin had, excluding Physical Education, it was still an impressive feat considering that he was he-who-sucks-at-games.

“Why don’t you study then?” Mikasa pressed, giving Eren a look. The boy frowned. “In fact, I think I’m going to go review for a bit. It’s better than wasting time.”

“But studying is boring too…” Eren protested under his breath.

“Exams are coming up fairly soon, better start preparing now.” Armin said rather cheerily.

“You’re the only one who prepares for exams five months before the actual exam.” Eren responded teasingly.

“It’s better to be prepared, right?” Armin shrugged.

“I’ll be in my room.” Mikasa, book in one hand, as she trudged towards her direction of her room. Instinctively Sasha jumped of the couch and trotted after the red scarf girl. Even though she was already in the room and Mikasa had closed the door, her canine ears were still able to make out the conversation from the living room.

“How long since Titan began living with us?” Eren’s voice echoed.

“I think about four months now.” Armin answered after a moment. “But she’s already become part of the family. I can’t imagine life without her anymore.”

“Yea…”

Sasha felt warmth flood into her heart after hearing the conversation. She herself has been rather settled in with her second life. The people around her accepted her without a second thought. She had a new family. The excitement almost made her forget about her old life, almost. Sometimes she would have thoughts...what was her father doing? What was Connie up too? She wondered, did Connie find new friends? Did her father get over her death? Though the thoughts never stayed for long, there was no use mulling over it now.

“Sasha.” The dog turned to look at the dark haired girl who was seated at the study table in the corner of the room.

 _Yes?_ The dog obediently came over and sat by her owner’s feet. It was a moment before Mikasa spoke again.

“Are you okay?

 _Are you still thinking about that Kendo Competition?_ Sasha jeered, rolling her eyes. _Let it go, already. I’m fine, you’re fine, Armin and Eren are fine, EVERYONE IS FINE. Just drop it already, Mikasa._

 “That’s good.” Mikasa nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

Sasha was surprised by her response. She had expected Mikasa to once again apologize for saving her life again, but she didn’t. Sasha was pleased to know that Mikasa seemed much better than she did when she first exited the hospital around four days ago. Everyone who participated in the competition was interrogated as well as going through a medical check-up to check for hidden injuries. Sasha herself stayed overnight at the vet’s, while they made sure that she was okay. There was a slight crack in her teeth during the tug-of-war with Annie, but it was barely noticeable and they managed to patch it up mighty fine. Fortunately, everyone was okay and no one was severely injured. On the other side, a suspect was never arrested, although Annie seemed to be under the most suspicion, since she was the one who held the sword. There had also been reports of a mysterious janitor that never worked at the school appearing a moment before the incident, although it remained unconfirmed. As Armin said, investigators suspected that it was a part of terrorist attack, resulting many schools in local areas to shut down to protect their students.

Instead of worrying about who the suspects could be, Mikasa and her make-shift family decided to forget all about it and they should just let the police handle it. Obviously it would be dangerous for a couple of high school students to play detective and get serious injured by these so called terrorists.

 _So why did we go into your room?_ Sasha asked, putting her head on Mikasa’s lap so she could stroke her head.

“I was thinking about visiting your old neighborhood...” Mikasa opened the drawer and took out the old photo of Connie and her, as her human self, hanging out together.

Sasha felt nostalgia as she stared at her human self with Connie. Being a dog for all these months, she almost forgot what it’s like to be human or even how she looked like. Even so, she was satisfied with the chance to live again, even if it was being a dog.

 _You mean like visit Connie and my Dad?_ Sasha asked excitedly, jumping up and wagging her tail.

“I mean, if you’re ready to meet them.” Mikasa smiled, already knowing the answer. “We have all these holidays that we don’t know how to spend and I’m thinking we could just visit your old town. It’s as a thank you for saving me.”

 _You already done enough for me than anyone could ever do._ Sasha said, licking Mikasa’s hand and wagging her tail. _But I wouldn’t mind if I went to visit my old neighborhood._

“I know you would.”

Suddenly, Mikasa leaned down and kissed Sasha on top of her head. Feeling embarrassed, Sasha l lied down and put her paws over her nose. The red scarf girl managed a small chuckle.

-~*~-

Later that evening, Mikasa devised a plot to get Armin and Eren to come along too. Mikasa had said that they should visit Annie and the other school students to see how they were doing, as a proof of good sportsmanship. Although Eren initially disagreed with the idea, Armin managed to convince him that there was nothing any better to do. The next day, the trio and Sasha planned to go to the Trost District to visit Sasha’s neighborhood. Of course, Armin and Eren had no idea about the true meaning of their trip.

“I haven’t been on a train in a long time..” mused Eren, swiping his ticket in the machine. After a moment, the machine flashed green, indicating that it was okay to go through.

“It’s actually a subway. Trains go above ground, Eren.” Armin corrected, doing the same thing with his card.

“Oh.”

Mikasa silently watched over her brother and friend, tightly binding Sasha’s leash to her while she let the dog through the machine. There were strict rules about having dogs travel through train stations and Mikasa wasn’t about to let Sasha break any of them.

 _Can you loosen my collar and my leash, you’re choking me._ Sasha whined, stamping her foot on the ground. She feverishly pawed her collar

“Sorry, Titan.” Mikasa said, unamused, patting the dog on the cheek. “I don’t want you to break any rules. “

“It looks like you’re holding too hard to her leash.” Eren frowned. “Maybe you should loosen it a little. I’m not carrying her if she passes out.”

“Yea, Mikasa you’re being a little too worried. Titan is a good dog; she won’t get into trouble without a good reason.” Armin agreed. “Some dogs are known to have choked to death due to tight collars.”

 _Listen to your friends, Mikasa._ Sasha threatened, giving her a look. _It’s not like I’m a real dog anyway._

After a moment of thought, Mikasa sighed and gave in. She crouched, loosening the collar that was tightly bound around the dog’s neck. Sasha sighed in relief and licked Mikasa’s hand in thanks. Armin came over and gave a gentle pat on the back of the dog’s head.

“The train is here!” Eren warned. Sure enough a large metal machine came bulldozing through the empty tunnel. Announcers blared out warnings about standing too close and what’s the next stop.

Sasha bounced on her four legs and tugged at the leash, pulling Mikasa forward. Before hopping on the train, the canine looked back with sincere eyes.

 _Don’t be worried about losing me._ She said. _I already died once. I won’t die again so easily._

The rest of the trip was fairly smooth. There wasn’t much to look at out the window because they were underground, but at one point the endless dark tunnel did open up to a view of the area. After about 20 minutes of waiting in the subway, the group finally reached their stop. After exiting the train, Eren gave the blankest look Sasha had ever seen.

“So, now where do we go?” Eren asked. “Do we just walk around or visit people?”

“I don’t think it’s safe to visit Trost District High yet.” Armin said, reading some articles off his phone. “Local schools are closed down and also under investigation in hopes of finding out who are the terrorists targeting students.”

 _How about we just walk around and maybe we’ll run into somebody?_ suggested Sasha, looking up at her owners. _You know, maybe someone I once knew._

“Let’s just walk around and see if there’s anybody around.” Mikasa repeated to Armin and Eren.

Mikasa repeating Sasha’s thoughts were a common thing now. Sometimes Sasha would have a suggestions or questions, but since she’s a dog, no one other than Mikasa would understand. Being this, Mikasa would repeat questions and suggestions by Sasha so the dog can feel part of the conversation too, despite the fact that no one could understand her.

“That’s a great idea.” Armin exclaimed. He looked at his phone and seemed to be looking at a map. “A nice walk in the forest is sure to freshen us up.

 _Trost Forest?_ Sasha whispered excitedly. _That’s where I used to practice Archery! I used to go there all the time with my dad and sometimes when he wasn’t around I went with Connie. One time a whole bunch of my friends went and...._

Mikasa looked down at the dog, who was now wagging her tail excitedly as the voice in her head began to ramble on. The girl with the red scarf could help, but smile at the innocent happiness that radiated from the creature. The dark-haired girl felt a prick of guilt in her heart. Even as happy as the dog is, Mikasa could feel that faint wistful longing, the longing of wanting to return. Sasha didn’t seem to notice the smile fade from Mikasa’s face, but instead seemed interested in the conversation Eren and Armin were currently having.

“Isn’t that The Forest of Giant Trees?” Eren said, peering over Armin’s shoulder so he could see. “The place with those giant redwood trees? The one we used to visit when we were younger?”

“Yes, they are!” Armin nodded, looking like a child at a candy shop. “

“Then let’s go.” Mikasa stated bluntly, startling Eren.

Eren seemed startled by the fact that Mikasa was the one who made the decision instead of him or Armin. Usually Mikasa would quietly agree to anything the two said, as long as the two remained safe of course. She would automatically shut down anything that seemed out of reach of her two sibling-friends, especially that of Eren. Even so, he gave a small shrug to his blonde friend and smiled to his sister.

“Alright then.” Eren replied. “Let’s go then.”

-~*~-

Sasha padded through the trees, sniffing and stumbling through the fallen leaves, finally free of the leash. Fortunately, Trost Forest, also known as The Forest of the Giant Trees (mainly because the forest consists of giant redwood trees), was a pet free zone, allowing Sasha to wander freely as long as she remained in the trio’s sight. There wasn’t much wild-life in this forest either, no deer or bears, save for a few squirrels and the occasional raccoon, there wasn’t much animals to see here. As soon as Armin had taken off her leash, Sasha had bolted off, barking to Mikasa to follow her as she went to go find her former archery training spot.

With no choice, but to follow the hyperactive canine, the trio quickly trotted after her. The dark-haired girl spotted the brown dog digging a hole in the ground near a trunk of the tree, before being distracted by a passing butterfly and chasing it. Mikasa noticed something that she couldn’t help, but feel disturbed and worried of. As time went on, Sasha became less and less human-like and more and more dog-like. When Mikasa had first adopted Sasha, she was still noticeably human. Doing things like reading books and watching TV, it reminded Mikasa that her dog, was once a human. However, recently, Sasha got less interested in doing those things, instead spending times playing with the chew toys Armin got or playing fetch with Eren. Without Sasha doing her human things, Mikasa got worried that maybe one day, Human Sasha would just fade away and it would just be Dog Sasha.

Shaking this troublesome thought away, she decided to pay attention to what Armin was talking to her about.

“Isn’t it cool Mikasa? How the trees can get so big?” Armin said as he admired the trees. Mikasa nodded monotonically, as she would normally do. Every so often, he would lift up his phone to take a picture, sometimes of the tree, sometimes of Sasha, and sometimes of his friends.

“You should stop taking so much pictures, it’s going to crowd your memory again.” Eren reminded.

“But shouldn’t we have a collection of memories?” Armin said. “We could look back on these when we’re older and be reminded of all the great times we had together!”

“That’s true Eren.” Mikasa agreed. “It’s good to have all these memories.”

“Plus this is Titan’s first time in the woods right?” Armin said, looking over to Sasha, who had run ahead to chase a squirrel. “She sure looks like she’s having fun.”

“But where exactly are we going?” Eren stopped, looking nervously at Armin and Mikasa. “All this time, we’ve just been following where Titan’s going.”

“Don’t worry, Eren, I have a map.” Armin reassured, taking out a large folded piece of paper out of his backpack he had been carrying. “Let’s see here...”

Seeing that the group was stopping for the moment, Mikasa put her fingers to her mouth and let out a clear sharp whistle. Upon hearing the whistle, Sasha instantly stopped what she was doing, and retreated back to her owners’ sides. Eren watched the German Shepard bound towards them in a playful manner.

“I wish she would listen to me when I did that.” Eren muttered grumpily.

“It takes practice.” Mikasa merely answered, somewhat amused. Once Sasha reached her side, she gave a light pat on the head, in which the dog licked in return.

 _What’s wrong, Mikasa?_ The voiced echoed in her head said. _Why are we stopping?_

Mikasa slightly gestured towards Armin and Eren, who were currently reading the map. The red scarf girl didn’t want to risk talking to Sasha right now. She wasn’t that kind of person to talk to dogs like that and her friend and sibling just seemed too close for Mikasa to whisper an explanation.

“We’re heading towards the corner of the Forest.” Armin said, pointing to a spot on the map. “It’s near where the forest supposedly continues off into nothing.”

“That’s the scary haunted place, right?” Eren shuddered. “I heard someone died there once.”

“No one ever died there.” Mikasa stated. “I did a research paper on this forest once, that’s just an urban legend.”

“Um...How about we turn back?” Armin looked a little nervous, frightened. “Why don’t we go to the Forest Meadow? With the beautiful fields and flowers?”

Sasha vigorously shook her head, pawing Mikasa frantically.

 _We can’t go back now! We’re so close..._ The dog whined uncomfortably.

“See even, Titan’s a little scared.” Armin said, starting to walk in the other direction. “Maybe we should go.”

Sasha seemed dismayed that her reaction seemed to make things worse. Mikasa swallowed uncomfortably. If she can’t convince her friends to go to that section of the forest, Sasha won’t be able to see her old archery practice area. The red scarf girl knew how much the former human wanted to see it, she couldn’t let this opportunity just slip by without a fight. Before Mikasa could react, Eren had beat her to it.

“C’mon, Armin, don’t be afraid of ghost stories.” The boy reached over and grabbed his friend by the hand. “They aren’t real anyway. Mikasa even said so, and Mikasa’s never wrong, so don’t be scared.”

Armin seemed unconvinced and Sasha took this opportunity to lean over and rub her head against the blonde’s leg, in a comforting manner.

 _Come on, Armin._ Sasha voiced. _I’ve been here lots of times and there’s been no ghost._

“Actually, it seems that Titan wants to continue going this way.” Mikasa put one hand, gently on her frightened friend’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’re here with you. Titan is here too.”

After a moment of silence, Armin sighed and made an audible gulp.

“Alright then.”  Armin smiled half-heartedly. “Let’s go”

Seeing her friend still seemed unconvinced that the forest was haunted, Mikasa took Armin by the hand and held it tight, as a sign that she will protect him. Armin shot his friend a grateful look as she gestured for Sasha and Eren to go on ahead while she walked in the back with Armin.

-~*~-

It wasn’t long before the leaves between the tall leafy branches began to close in, making the forest seem darker and rather sinister looking. If it weren’t for the holes of sunshine peeking through the crack in the leaves, the forest would have been totally dark. After a while, Armin became less afraid, seeing how it was quite enchanting to see the sunshine poke through the leaves like some kind of fantastical dream. The trio , save for Mikasa, didn’t seem to notice that they had gone off the marked path.

“It’s really pretty here.” Armin commented, taking a picture with his phone.

“See, I told you it wasn’t scary.” Eren grinned, followed by a ‘Told you so’ bark from Sasha.

Mikasa smiled, relaxed to know that all her friends and brother were doing well. However, large thumping noises soon began to height her worries. The noise was unlike anything any the trio had hear d of. It was like the sound of something hitting something else really hard, over and over. Only Sasha seemed unfazed by the noise.

“W-what was that?” Armin whispered, edging closer to Mikasa. She took a protective stance in front of him. “Is that...a ghost?”

“It can’t be...” Eren whispered back. “This place isn’t haunted...right?”

Mikasa remained silent as Eren began taking slow steps back, so he could be standing near his siblings. Mikasa instinctively shoved herself in front of her friend and sibling, but realized that there was one missing in the equation. She looked at Sasha, whose ears were perked up to the sound. The canine didn’t seem scared and from the way she acted, she looked more surprised than scared.

“Titan...” Mikasa whispered sharply, knowing that Sasha’s ears would pick it up. Instead of obediently coming towards her, she flicked an ear to show that she had heard, but did not move from her spot.

 _I heard this noise before._ She heard Sasha say, a little excited. Sasha gave a small woof, which tightened Armin’s grip on Mikasa’s arm.

“Titan...get back!” Mikasa heard Armin wheeze. Eren seemed tense, but didn’t say anything. He instead stared with his murderous green eyes, telling whatever was making that noise that if it hurt his friends and family, he would deal with it personally.

The bushes in front of Sasha began to rustle and Mikasa fought the urge to run towards Sasha and drag her back, fearing that if she did, then whatever creature was lurking might jump out and get all of them. Instead she began to edge closer to Sasha, trying to give subtle signals for her dog to return. Mikasa soon realized that Sasha was wagging her tail and panting happily, something she would only do upon seeing the trio when picking them up from school.  One she only did when she was meeting friends.

A small teenage boy emerged from the bushes and soon after Mikasa realized who it was, she relaxed and straightened herself up. The boy had an annoyed look on his face. He was wearing a sweatshirt along with some mismatching shorts. He had barely any hair, not quite bald; a buzz-cut would be a more accurate description. Sasha began to walk her tail much more intensely and she barked happily again.

“What are you doing here?” The boy said, with a rather threatened tone. He looked a little worried. “How did you find this place?”

“You...” Mikasa breathed quietly, relieved.

“Who?” Eren asked, a little tense, but less after finding out the culprit of the noise was just a boy. Armin seemed speechless.

_Connie!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND CUT.  
> What a nice cliffhanger dontcha think? I think I foreshadowed enough to imply what might happen next...
> 
> I don't know when I'll be uploading the next chapter, but hey, at least I manged to squeeze this out, yes? I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and I'm sorry if anyone seemed OOC, but I'm sleep deprived and a bit sick, so everything seems a lil' wacko.
> 
> Be seeing you then my friends! Until next chapter :)  
> Jae


	5. A Bow and Arrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the horribly long hiatus! I've been busy with life and stuff...kinda lost inspiration for this story for a while, but when I came back here I was really surprised how much hits this gotten. Really? 600+ Hits and 40 Kudos? Is this story that good :O This has to be one of my most successful stories yet and I didn't want to let anyone down.
> 
> So without further ado, Chapter 5 :D

“What are you doing here?” The boy, now identified as Connie by Sasha, warily approached the trio. Upon meetings Eren’s gaze, he lifted his hands showing that he was no threat. Swallowing nervously, Connie talked again. “Are you guys lost? Do you need help to get on the path again?”

 “We aren’t lost we were just on the...” Eren looked around, surprised to find that the dirt road had disappeared. “Where’s the road?”

“We went off it a while ago.” Mikasa informed her confused friend. “It was a little too dark so we couldn’t tell the difference, but I noticed.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Armin asked, loosening his grip on MIkasa’s shoulders.

“You seemed like you were having fun. I didn’t think much of it.” The girl stated curtly.

 _Connie?_ Sasha’s voice rang. _That’s really you right?_

Meanwhile, Sasha approached him and cautiously sniffed Connie’s hand. The dog seemed bewildered; the red scarf girl suspected that it was like a dream for her to see her best friend after a long time. Mikasa watched as Connie looked down at the canine and they locked eyes for a moment. There was a strange look on Connie’s face as he tried to register what he was seeing. For a second, the girl thought that the two were going to jump into each other and start crying about how much they missed each other. Mikasa kind of hoped it would end that way and the reunion between two best friends would finally resolve the guilt pricking her mind. Instead, Connie looked over at Mikasa curiously, doing a waving motion, asking whether or not he was allowed to pet Sasha. Sighing disappointedly, Mikasa nodded.

“You have a nice dog.” Connie smiled, petting the dog, Mikasa watched Sasha, who now was leaning against his leg, wagging her tail ferociously. Mikasa noted how Sasha tried to fight to urge to leap on her friend. Sadly, Sasha wasn’t a human anymore in Connie’s eyes, she was a dog.

“If Titan likes you then it must mean you’re a good person.” Armin declared, finally releasing the grip he had on Mikasa. Eren seemed to have relaxed somewhat.

“You could have at least told us that we went off the path.” Eren said, turning back to Mikasa.

“You’re not far from the path.” Connie said, occupied with petting Sasha. He stopped briefly to stand up and look up at the trio. “I could take you back.”

“That would be great!” Armin exclaimed.

“We could find it ourselves...” Eren mumbled under his breath. Mikasa smiled a little at her brother’s childish male pride.

“Or you could get lost again.” Connie mused. He walked over the trio, tailed by Sasha close behind. “We may not be far from the path, but there’s a lot of muddy potholes here. You could fall in and it’s hell trying to climb back out.”

“How do you know?” eyed Eren.

“Personal experience.” Connie grinned, scratching the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. Sasha behind him seemed to lower her head sheepishly too. Mikasa should suddenly see why they were best friends. “I come here a lot and let’s just say I tend to go home caked in mud.”

Mikasa could only guess that these two knuckleheads Sasha and Connie probably went exploring in the woods, only to fall down a couple holes in the process. She shook her head and stifled a laugh, earning a look from both Armin and Eren. Connie just looked more embarrassed. What a pair these two must have been.

“I would like to go home without looking like the swamp monster.” Armin joked, nodding understandably.

“That would be nice.” Mikasa merely stated.

Eren gruffly nodded, understanding that having male pride to boast for was not worth getting he and his friends getting muddy or potentially injured.

“My name is Connie by the way.” The boy said, reaching his hand out to shake hands. “Connie Springer.”

-~*~-

“So you come here often?” Armin asked, trying to keep the mood light as the group made followed him back where the path should be.

“Yea, I come here often.” Connie replied, looking back to make sure they were still following him. He briefly glanced at Sasha, who was right at his heels. For some reason, Connie couldn’t help, but feel somewhat attracted to the dog. It was weird. “Not as often as I used to, but yea.”

“Why not?” Eren said, swatting a couple of branches out his face. A couple leaves got stuck in his hair and Mikasa leaned over to pick it off. Eren swatted her efforts to help, trying to do it himself, leaving Mikasa rather dismayed. “Seems like a nice private place to hang out.”

“Well...” Connie’s voice trailed off. “My good friend...went away and I just didn’t feel like coming here at first, but then...I kind of had to come back...It’s complicated.”

Mikasa looked at Connie, who continued walking forward despite of what he said. She knew exactly who the friend that went away was and she was sure that Sasha knew too. Sasha was trying her best to get Connie to notice her, but he seemed too occupied on not tripping on his feet.

Thankfully, Connie didn’t seem to know who Mikasa was. The dark-haired girl had met the boy briefly at Sasha’s funeral. They exchanged a few words and Connie had firmly told her that it wasn’t her fault that Sasha had died. Even through tears, he had merely said that Sasha was just that kind of person and she herself wouldn’t blame Mikasa for her death. Seeing how Connie’s words later wrung true when Sasha told Mikasa that she didn’t blame her for Sasha’s death, it was only evidence to how close Sasha and Connie must have been. At the funeral, Mikasa never asked for names and Mikasa left because she felt uncomfortable. To tell the truth, Mikasa was glad that Connie didn’t remember her. It has been a long time after all.

“But your friend can always visit right?” Armin asked cheerily. Mikasa bit her lip. This wasn’t the right question to ask at all. Sasha whined nervously.

 _Armin...I thought you were smart..._ Sasha told Mikasa. On normal cases, Mikasa would of walked over and cuffed the dog on the head, but this time she couldn’t help, but agree.

“Well...she can’t.” Connie’s voice was a little strained. Armin went silent, probably trying to guess why his friend couldn’t visit. After a moment of realization, Armin pursed his lips together, finally piecing together the information. Unfortunately, everyone but Eren seemed to have picked it up.

“Why can’t she?” Eren asked obliviously.

Mikasa heard Connie audibly gulp and take a deep breath. He stopped walking and looked back, grinning forcefully. Upon seeing how distressed he looked, Sasha’s ears drooped sadly.

“She passed away.” He smiled rather icily. Eren seemed a little taken back, but Armin and Mikasa didn’t seemed surprise. Armin seemed to have figured out with that big brain of his.

 _If only Eren had a little of Armin’s ability to think._ Sasha sighed sadly. Eren was being a little to impulsive and even though she hated to hear anyone badmouth her family, Sasha was right.

“Oh...” Eren stammered. “Sorry...”

Connie turned around so now he was facing them. He rubbed his hands on his eyes, clearly tearing up a bit. Sasha had gone over and leaned on his leg, pushing her head under his hand so Connie could pet her. Mikasa felt the guilt crawl up her spine. What relationship had been broken to save her life?

“It’s okay.” Connie’s voice wavered a bit, but it was clear and sharp. Mikasa could only guess that he was just trying to remain strong for the sake of others and possibly himself. “She died quite a while ago. She was my childhood and best friend, so you can see why.”

Armin put a hand on Connie’s shoulder, trying to seem comforting. Connie merely clutched his fists trying his best to smile. Mikasa had to keep herself from crying as well. She was sure that Sasha would have started crying if she could.

“I’m sorry, Connie.” Armin said quietly. “I’m sure she was a great person.”

“She did.” Connie lifted his hands in thumbs up. “She was the best friend I could ever have.”

 _You were the best friend I could ever have too, Connie._ Sasha closed her eyes.

 The dog wished Connie could hear her, but only Mikasa can. It was painful to hear how her best friend was faring without her. It almost made Sasha feel guilty for leaving him behind, but it was for a good cause right? Mikasa was now living and breathing. She wouldn’t know how Armin and Eren’s life would’ve been without Mikasa, she was like their mother. They would’ve had reacted far worse than Connie did. After all, all the trio had was themselves. Sasha opened her eye to see misty-eyed Mikasa looking at her.

“I’m sure she thought so too.” Mikasa managed to say. Sasha perked her ears and shot a grateful look to Mikasa.

 _Thank you, Mikasa._ The dog managed to say, wagging her tail slightly.

Connie looked up and smiled at Mikasa, then a slight frown crept into his face. He looked a little bewildered, but it wasn’t an angry kind of look. It was more surprised and the dark haired girl hoped it would stay that way.

“I’ve met you before...” Connie managed to say. Surprised, the others looked at him. Mikasa swallowed. He must’ve remembered. “You’re the girl...Sasha saved.”

Mikasa felt her heart drop. It was weird for anyone else to say Sasha’s name and hearing someone else say the name made her panic. Even though Connie had told her that it wasn’t her fault, he could’ve build up hatred since then. Armin looked between both of them. Sasha had her ears perked, suddenly a little uncomfortable to where this is going.

“Sasha?” Armin thought for a moment. “Sasha Braus right? She’s the one who saved Mikasa from that accident about five months ago....She’s your friend?”

“What?” Eren said, whirling his head from person to person. “Your friends with the girl that saved my sister?”

 _Can we stop talking about this?_ Sasha pleaded to Mikasa. The dark-haired girl only gave her a helpless look. _I don’t think this conversation will end well..._

The boy ran a hand through his head and looked like his legs were about to give way. He brought the hand onto his face and he took a deep breath and looked up, trying terribly hard not to cry. Sasha licked his hand, to which Connie absent-mindedly brought a hand down to pet it.

“I’m not mad.” Mikasa heard Connie say, an unnatural tightness infecting his voice. “You know, you don’t have to look so scared.”

 _You look pretty pale._ Sasha explained, nodding slightly. She shot a worried look towards her owner. _You look like you’re about to pass out too. Are you okay?_

“I...” Mikasa started, but she couldn’t quite pick up the words. She was at a lost. Sasha had been forgiving to her, but this was the first time someone other than her in which they were talk about the accident. “I-I...”

She felt a hand grab her fingers and she glanced to the side to see that Eren had grabbed her hand, in a comforting manner. Then she noticed the threatening glare in his green eyes. Armin was shifting from side to side, unsure what to do or say.

“I’m just...” Connie broke the silence. “A little sad...when I think about what happened. It happened so fast. We were just in detention together...I should’ve gone with her to her house like I usually do instead of being selfish and going straight home...I’m not mad at you, Mikasa.”

Then it hit her like a deer in the headlights. Connie wasn’t mad at _her._ He was mad at _himself._ A strange wave of relief filled her heart and she felt herself relax and her heart began to slow down. But even so, why in the world would Connie blame himself? He wasn’t even directly involved in the incident, but he was probably the last person Sasha talked to before Mikasa.

 _Connie!_ Sasha jumped on all fours and barked loudly. _Why does everyone go blaming themselves? It was an ACCIDENT. Talk some sense into him, Mikasa, please._

“It’s not your fault either.” Mikasa said immediately after. “I can tell you this, but she went out bravely.”

“She probably  did.” Connie muttered quietly. “She was a hunter and wasn’t that fazed by death that much.”

Sasha flinched.

 _Not true. I just never showed it._ Sasha jeered, sniffing loudly to signify that she was annoyed. Connie looked perplexed at Sasha. _Wait ‘til you find out it’s me._

Mikasa knew that intonation of voice that the dog was kidding, but there was a hint of longing there. She probably did want such a thing to happen, but then again, how would Connie take it? He probably wouldn’t believe it at first and he’d probably thing it’s horrible that Mikasa was mocking his best friend’s death. The dark-haired girl couldn’t accept that.

“So why are you carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows?” Armin spoke up for the first time in a while. Connie looked confused until Armin pointed at the bow that was clearly strapped around his chest. “Are you a hunter as well?

“Not...exactly.” He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. Mikasa was glad that Connie seemed to have cheered up somewhat, though she felt that this wasn’t going to be the last time that they were going to talk about Sasha’s death. “I was just practicing where Sasha would usually practice and I was planning to do something big with it...”

 _You better not be doing what I think your doing._ Sasha growled. _I’ll bite your socks off._

Mikasa looked at Sasha expectantly for an answer, but the dog just looked back with an annoyed look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that the plot didn't really move forward, but I'm just getting back into writing this because I'm a bit hyped for the SnK Live Action (although I'm not sure if it's as good as some people make it out to be). I want to watch because of how badass Sasha looked in the trailer (is that archer girl Sasha? it must be her right?).
> 
> So anyways, I'm not sure when the next update will be, but please be patient with me! I'm sorry about the long break, but real life comes first ;)


	6. Nothing Left to Lose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa and Sasha help Connie. He reveals a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for not updating for so long :P  
> If you guys had any idea that I was abandoning this, don't worry I'm not. I've just been busy with a couple things. I tried to make this chapter long and extra juicy, filled with fluffiness. So without further ado, Chapter 6!

“So you’re telling me, you picked up your uh, late best friend’s hobby and decided to _enter a competition_?” Eren inquired. He picked up the spoon he was stirring his coffee is and pointed at Connie at the word ‘you’.

“Well, I feel like it’s the least I could do for her.” Connie replied, staring into milkshake. “She never got to participate in her last completion...I mean, I’ve gotten nothing left to lose.”

They were seated in the Trost Forest Coffee Shop. Surprisingly, the forest had a nice stationed coffee shop near the entrance. It also doubled as a gift shop; filled with a couple trinkets like miniature redwood trees to stuffed tree plushies. Sasha had been here a few times, she had loved stopping by and grabbing a cup of coffee before heading into the woods to do some archery training. Even now she was staring up pleadingly at Mikasa, hoping that a few drops of coffee would fall down from the cup. However, that white cup stayed stubbornly still and Mikasa made no effort to tip it over. Of course, that would seem too awkward. With that thought, led them up to their current situation now.

Sasha felt surprisingly cross, though she wasn’t really quite sure why. She was kind of mad at Connie for picking up her hobby and then impulsively signing up for the competition in her place. Maybe she felt a tad bit guilty for telling Connie about how she was going to ace that competition when she had spotted the flyer. Perhaps it was her fault that he had come up with a such a ridiculous idea. The dog was touched by the teen’s actions to help the dead, but frankly it seemed as if he was still in denial and that doing this would probably hurt them both.

 “Are you sure that is a good idea?” Armin asked worriedly. Sasha perked her ears. Yes, maybe her new family could convince. “I mean, I don’t mean to be offensive, but if you lose, you could end up disgracing her name.” Connie nodded solemnly.

“But I thought long and hard about this.” He replied firmly. “I know that this is the right thing to do.”

Eren scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. “That’s kinda hard.” He said slowly, seeming to be deep in thought. “If she’s as good of an archer as you say she is, then isn’t it too far of a stretch to be striving for _her_ goals?” Then he added a bit bluntly. “Um, are you skilled as her?”

“Skilled as her? scoffed Connie. “No way, she was the local archer champion. She could shoot an apple off someone’s head while riding on a horse. Sasha was just _that_ good. Me on the other hand, not so much...I’m more of a runner.” He paused thoughtfully. “I’ve thought of that. That’s why I’ve been practicing in there in the forest every day until I get better. I’ve managed to shoot the target smack in the middle too.” The boy motioned with his hands. “I’m getting better.”

“When’s the competition again?” asked Mikasa, speaking up. She glanced at Sasha, who was peering over edge of the table, her tail noisily rapping the wooden floorboards.

Connie grinned sheepishly, a bit reluctant to answer.  _Right! You see!_ Sasha’s voice screamed in Mikasa’s head, causing girl to wince. _The thing is..._ The dog never finished her sentence.

“...Two weeks.”

Eren and Armin nearly sputtered out her drinks. Although Mikasa was surprised, all she did was widen her eyes. Sasha flattened her ears and was tempted to bark loudly at her head for making such a _stupid_ decision. Connie took a deep sip out of his milkshake, trying to ignore the stares of disbelief.

“Two weeks from now?” Eren said finally, a bit bewildered. “Are...are you sure you’re up for it?”

“I wish I had more practice.” Connie replied lamely.

Armin gave a nervous laugh. “Maybe this isn’t the best idea.”

 _You tell him, Armin!_ Sasha nodded her head.

The boy frowned determinedly. “I can do this.” Then in a quieter more pained voice. “I _have_ to do this.”

Mikasa felt the mood dampen and she felt her heart sink. Of course Connie would be torn up about losing his best friend. Probably something she had hope would never happen to her. Nothing happened to Eren and Armin yet, and she was glad that her two closest buddies have remained unscathed to this day after that incident. Connie and Sasha both had to suffer from separation, both wanting to tell something to another that could never be said again.

 _Mikasa, can we help him?_ A voice prodded Mikasa’s mind gently. Sasha was looking at her pleadingly. _I’m still against this, he shouldn’t push himself to do this for me...but if he really wants to do it, I want to help him._

The red scarf girl decided to comply with the dog’s wishes. “I’ll help you.”

Eren and Armin turned to look at her with gazes of confusion. Connie, who had been hurriedly slurping his smoothing like no tomorrow, took one last gulp and swallowed, glancing at Mikasa out of the corner of his eye before, putting a hand to his head. Brain freeze, Mikasa guessed.

“But Mikasa, you don’t know how to do archery.” Eren protested, a little confused.

“I’ve read books on before though.” Mikasa replied, a little harshly. She was deadest on granting Sasha’s wishes. When Eren gave her a ‘huh’ she continued. “I read a book on it once, out of curiosity.”

“I appreciate the help, but...” Connie started.

 _Let her help you, dork!_ Sasha interrupted him by barking in real life. Connie and the others jumped, save for Mikasa who was calmly sipping her coffee.  _Me too! Don’t make this harder for yourself._

“You need all the help you can get.” The dark haired girl emphasized her words carefully, making sure that Connie was to agree or suffer the consequences of not agreeing with her.

Connie seemed to be contemplating over this before he gave a resigned sigh.

“Um, thanks.” Was his simple answer.

-~*~-

“Try to feel the wind blowing, it’ll change the path of your arrow if you don’t pay attention to where the wind is blowing.”

“I’m trying, but I can’t tell where it’s blowing. It all looks the same to me.”

“It’s the way Titan’s fur is blowing.”

Training sessions had become normality in the past week. Mikasa and Titan had frequently come over to the Trost District to help Connie with his vigorous archer training. Most of the time they would spend time in the secret archery training area that Sasha used to go to, but this time they were using a hidden meadow in the forest to practice with wind. Sometimes Eren would tag along, or sometimes Armin, but it was usually just, the boy, girl, and the dog. The dark-haired girl grew used to having Sasha tell her something to recite to Connie, who would then attempt whatever advice was given to him. It was kind of stressing, being the one to relay information between the two best friends, but she had to do this for Sasha’s sake.

“Maybe we should take a break?” suggested Mikasa, glancing at Sasha who was sitting nearby on outcrop of rock. She seemed a bit more relaxed than she was a past few days ago.

 _He looks like he needs it._ The dog commentated as the Connie sunk down into a tired heap.

“If I had known you were going to drill me like a military sergeant, I would’ve just gone to Mr. Levi and have him drill me instead.” Connie said breathlessly. Sasha’s ear twitched to the name of her former teacher.

“Who?” It was Mikasa’s question, not Sasha’s.

“He’s my math teacher at high school.” He explained, turning to look at her. “Sasha and I used to hate being in his classes. He’s so strict with us and loved to bombard us with a _ton_ of homework.”

Mikasa noticed his usage of past tense. “How about now?”

“Well...” Connie frowned a bit, but gave a tired shrug. “I don’t know, it’s different, I guess. He’s much lighter than he used to be. His classes are less of a drag because he doesn’t seem to give a lot of assignments. Maybe that’s a good thing.”

 _I was in detention with Connie and he was the supervisor._ Sasha’s voice explained to the red scarf girl.

“Maybe he feels guilty or something about being the detention teacher on the day Sasha passed away.” Connie speculated out loud. “I just thought of that.” He glanced over at Mikasa. “You don’t think that’s weird do you? He’s an adult and all...”

“Everyone is entitled to feel guilty.” responded the girl. It was ironic that she was the one who said it.

“I guess so.”

 _And maybe all of you should quit feeling that way._ Sasha retorted, coughing in a very dog-like way. _It’s driving me nuts._

Mikasa had taken the chance to sit on the soft grass. The dog went down from her place on the rock and began rolling around on the grass, playing with leaves in the air. Connie and Mikasa watched amusingly as the canine continued to play by herself, unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching her intently. She was simply having too much fun. Before long, Sasha bounded away after a stray leaf, with a few barks promising that she would come back after catching her prize.

“Can I tell you a secret?” The red scarf girl looked at Connie questionably. The boy looked a little nervous. “It might be weird since we met so recently, but I feel like I trust you.”

“Thank you.” replied Mikasa awkwardly, unsure what else to say.

Connie paused for a moment and he spread himself out on the grass, putting the bow and arrows by his side as he looked up to the sky. It was late in the afternoon and it was slightly cloudy, allowing cool breezes to blow through the little hidden alcove. The boy rolled onto his stomach, locking eyes with Mikasa.

“You know, I liked...I liked her.”

The girl blinked, her gaze unwavering. “Sasha?

“Yeah.” Connie responded meekly. Good thing Sasha wasn’t here right now to hear this. She would probably flip out at the idea of her best friend confessing his love. “I liked her a lot.”

Mikasa paused before asking. “Did you tell her?”

“...No.” admitted the teen, a little bit embarrassedly. “I was too scared to. Afraid she might turn me down or something. We were just best friends. She isn’t the type of lovey-dovey person to go on dates and stuff.”

An extended pause.

“Do you regret it?” asked Mikasa again. She wasn’t sure if she should be treading in this territory, but she felt it was the right thing to do. Maybe.

Despite being your typical teenage girl, Mikasa didn’t really know much romance herself. It was a little bit foreign  concept with her and the only types of love she can associate with is family love. At least, she could do the Connie (and Sasha) a favor is hear him out. A little prodding wouldn’t hurt. And plus, she was curious and maybe a little...jealous.

A slight pause. “Kinda.” Connie picked one of the arrows out of the quiver and examined it’s sharp edges. “I told myself that it was better that she didn’t know. Even now, I’m sorta glad that I didn’t tell her, so she doesn’t think any less of me before she had to go.” He signed remorsefully. “Still...”

“Still?” Mikasa absent-mindedly fiddled with a strand of grass. That particular strand  was a little bit annoying to her.

“If I had told her, maybe we could’ve been something.” Connie said. Mikasa sent him an incredulous look, but she quickly softened her expression. No. Mikasa Ackerman would not let her emotions get the better of her. Connie noticed this and chuckled. “Now that I think of it, it was better things turned out this way though.”

“Why so?” The red scarf girl asked simply. She felt like the only thing she could say were questions. Said the wrong thing then she might offend him.

“If we _did_ become something.” started Connie. “I would’ve been much more upset that she died.” Then he laughed half-heartedly. “Would’ve become a perfect plot for the summer cheesy romance movie.”

“That’s good then.” She said reassuringly. “I don’t think she would’ve liked to be the central protagonist in a silly love story.” Connie laughed.

Mikasa felt a smile tug her lips. At least Connie seemed to be at peace with his love for his best friend. He managed this emotion fairly well, as if he had been mulling over for a long time. In any case, the girl couldn’t help, but be a bit jealous. The dark-haired girl wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was her possessiveness of everything close to her that had finally taken a hold of Sasha. In hindsight, she couldn’t really stand the thought of someone else taking care of Sasha the way she had. It kind of irked her that it took a death for her to meet up with such a good friend as Sasha. Maybe it was a little of an understatement that Mikasa was jealous that Connie had the chance to meet and befriend her before her untimely death.

“Mikasa? You okay?” Connie was looking at her. “You look a bit...fidgety.”

“I just spaced out.” She answered quickly, still a little fidgety. Connie gave her a dubious look, but he shrugged to himself, dismissing the idea.

Sasha soon came back, a large stick with a bunch of leaves at the end in her mouth, as she bounded back playfully to where Mikasa and Connie were was resting. She offered the stick to Connie, who took it hesitantly. Then she took place near him and lay down comfortably in the grass, stretching out so she could put her head near Mikasa’s legs.

Sasha wagged her tail, looking at Mikasa. _Sorry, I would’ve come back earlier, but you see, this squirrel was giving me the stink eye and..._

“It’s alright.” Mikasa murmured, petting the dogs head. “You didn’t miss much.”

“What was that?” Connie asked, looking at her, the branch in his hands as he picked the dead leaves off one by one.

She looked up at him, carefully picking her words. “Just wondering where the idea to bring back a branch full of leaves appealed to her.” Mikasa replied, giving a questionable look at the dog.

 _It’s an inside joke._ Was all Sasha’s voice supplied her with.

“Maybe it’s a present...?” Connie wondered out loud, lifting the branch and inspecting it curiously. He looked over at the dog, who stuck her tongue out and wagged her tail, trying her best to look friendly.

 _You know Mikasa, one time Connie hit his head on a branch hanging low while horseback riding once._ narrated Sasha. _I used to give him or at least point out, branches to him. It’s an inside joke between us...I guess it doesn’t matter much now though._

Mikasa nodded her head, trying to make sure that she was _only_ responding to Connie, but also subtly responding to Sasha. It was a little hard talking to two people at once and trying not to tell the other that the other one could talk. It was even more of an effort when there was more than one person to talk too, but it was always easier when it was Eren and Armin. Connie was different.

“Maybe it is.” The girl brushed her dark hair out of her face, giving a quiet smile towards Sasha.

Connie’s face was a series of mixed emotions before he gave a dry cough and put the branch carefully by his side, as if it was the most important thing in the universe. He put the arrow he had taken out earlier, putting it back in the quiver. With a glance at Mikasa, he swung himself on his feet, slinging the bow and the arrows around his shoulder.

“You know, I don’t really feel like practicing anymore.” He said quietly.

Mikasa raised an eyebrow. “Hm?” Sasha titled her head, still sticking her tongue out and panting, but her tail stopped wagging. “You only have a little less than a week left.”

“I’m little tired today.” responded Connie. “Sorry.”

“That’s alright.” Mikasa brought herself to her feet too. Sasha’s ears flattened, sensing the change of mood.

He took one last look at the branch before shaking his head and walking away. “Yeah.” He said, a little unsure of himself. “That’s right.” He paused.  “I’m tired.”

-~*~-

“How did it go?” Eren asked as a weary girl and dog walked through the door. He stood up from where he was playing games on the couch and walked over to them.

It was relatively early in the evening and Mikasa & Sasha only just now managed to get home. The subway got delayed due to a short power outage that rendered the subways useless until about an hour later. Even though it was Mikasa’s turn to cook, Eren and Armin decided to order take out and spare Mikasa of having to cook. They even got Sasha her own package of food, knowing the dog would much prefer it over cold table scraps mixed with her dog food.

“It was fun.” Mikasa said simply, taking off her shoes and putting it aside so it wasn’t in front of the door. Sasha yawned and shook her pelt and wagging her tail slowly at Eren.

“You looked pooped.” Eren commentated. “As we promised, we bought you dinner. Armin preheated it already and it should be in your room.”

At the mention of food, Sasha noticeably perked up and padded quickly towards the direction of Mikasa’s room, the faint smell of food growing stronger with each step. Mikasa smiled, watching the canine run to her room in pursuit of a hot meal. She turned to her adopted brother.

“Thanks Eren.” Then she frowned. “Where’s Armin?”

“Oh, I think he’s in his room eating. We both already ate without you so...” Eren looked a bit ashamed.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you were both starving.” assured Mikasa, coming over and patting Eren lightly on the head, as if he was a little boy. Eren swatted her hand away lightly, giving her an annoyed look. “I better go make sure that Titan doesn’t eat my share.”

Eren nodded and resumed gaming. Mikasa went ahead to her room, where she already found Sasha chowing down on a dog bowl near the edge of her bed. The canine’s ear twitched as Mikasa walked in, but the dog did not turn to look at her. The poor thing’s probably hungry out of her mind. The months she had been living them, Sasha has always been a big eater. Something about not eating a lot as a kid.

“Taste good?” Mikasa chuckled, peeling off her jacket and hanging it on one of the hooks on her door and setting her bag down near her desk. She sank down into her chair, picking up her own carton of food on the desk. Breaking apart the wooden chopsticks nearby, she opened up her own carton and was greeted with a welcoming sight of food.

 _Food always tastes good._ Sasha replied, tail wagging slightly. _Especially when you’re hungry._

“Of course.” agreed Mikasa as she begun to eat her meal. Sasha was right. Food did taste better when one was hungry.

There was a moment of silence, as the two continued to eat their meal. The only sounds were chewing and slurping of their delicious meal. This hearty meal consisted of a bento, filled with assorted meats and a bulk of rice. Mikasa always ate very delicately and made sure that everything was eaten in moderation. She would usually only finish half her meal, and give the other half to her family or for leftovers. Balance was very important in a diet. Sasha however ate anything that was dropped into her bowl. Even it was too much for the dog to handle, she would snap it up in a heartbeat. A philosophy Sasha always followed was to never waste food, even if she did bite more off that she could do.

The sound of chewing was soon replaced by the bowl squeaking against the polished tiles. Sasha had finished her meal and had begun licking the bowl clean, managing to push the metal container a few feet with just her tongue. Mikasa watched interestedly, chewing her own food very slowly as she watched Sasha lick the last few remnants of sauce on her bowl. The dog took a deep sniff and deduced all food was gone and yawned, walking over to her fluffy bed nearby and nestling herself in the soft fabric.

 _That was nice._ Sasha said, grumbling happily to herself.

Mikasa smiled around her mouthful of food. “Full are you?” She said after swallowing.

 _I could live with a few more bites, I guess, but I’ll live._ Sasha said yawning again. She settled into her cushion and blinked sleepily. _I could go for a snooze._

“Can you wait ‘til after I shower? I have some things to tell you.” Mikasa told the dog after putting a clump of rice in her mouth.

 _Sure thing._ Sasha wagged her tail to ensure that she was awake. _I’ll just watch TV until you come out._

After finish three fourths of her meal, Mikasa dumped the leftovers into Sasha’s bowl and the dog was happy to accept the uneaten portion. She left Sasha to her own devices as she went to the bathroom to take a shower. Thirty minutes passed when Mikasa exited the shower, a towel on her shoulders to prevent her wet hair from getting her night gown wet. She found Sasha just as she had said, watching TV while gnawing a bone. Sasha glanced at Mikasa in greeting, before turning her attention back at the show she was watching. Apparently it was an old Asian Kung Fu Movie. The bowl was now empty, pushed aside to the wall to make sure no one tripped on it.

“I’m going to dry my hair, you might not hear the movie.” Mikasa said, sitting down and grabbing her hair dryer.

 _Dogs have better hearing than humans you know._ Sasha gave her a cheeky look. It was true, dogs _did_ have better hearing than humans. _I can hear Eren and Armin talking in the other room._

Mikasa returned the smile. “Just in case.”

 _Nice to know that you care._ Sasha wagged her tail, still chewing at the bone.

“Of course I do.” confirmed the girl.

A few more moments, Mikasa’s hair was nice, combed and dry. Mikasa discarded the wet towel into the laundry bin and went over to sit on her bed. School was starting fairly soon. The police had officially declared the school safe from any terrorist activity, but due to a new policy set by the mayor yesterday, school would end at one instead of three. Troublesome it was, but Mikasa knew that it was for the better. If only they knew.

“Sasha, can I talk to you for a moment?”

 _Yeah sure, just kill the TV. It wasn’t that interesting anyway._ Mikasa leaned over and took the remote from Sasha’s side and switched it off. Even with the lack of apposable thumbs, Sasha could still press buttons with her nose or the tip of her claws. Something she had gotten used to doing. _So, what’s up?_

“Connie told me something today.” Mikasa started, a little unsure.

 _And what would that be?_ Sasha stopped biting her bone and turned to look up at Mikasa on the bed. _He didn’t tell you any of my secrets did he?_

“No, nothing like that.” chuckled Mikasa. “Although that would be something interesting to ask him.” She rasied her eyebrow in an amused manner, enticing an annoyed look from her dog.

 _You better not. Otherwise I would have to stick a needle in his eye and kill him._ Sasha replied in a humorous tone.

“Aha, the pinky swear, huh? I guess that’s off limits then.” Mikasa laughed and the dog smiled, panting. “Anyways that’s not it.”

 _Well what is it?_ Sasha flipped her bone to the other side impatiently.

“Well,” Mikasa trailed off.

The dark-haired girl was still unsure if it was the right thing to do, to tell Sasha that Connie _had_ a crush on her when she was alive. Connie hadn’t wanted her to find out, but she felt obligated to tell Sasha. It wasn’t like Sasha could still hook up with Connie now. She was a dog and he was a human. The chance was lost long ago, but Connie _had_ wanted to tell her. Maybe it was only right that Sasha got to know.

 _Come on then, out with it._ Sasha barked.

Mikasa swallowed and mustered up her courage. Sasha had the right to know. “Connie, he...he liked you.”

There was a moment of silence as Sasha tried to register what she had heard. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, seeming to be deep in thought. She tilted her head and opened her eyes again, boring into Mikasa’s own dark brown eyes.

 _Is that all?_ Sasha voice asked. It sounded a bit melancholy.

“You’re not surprised?” If Sasha wasn’t, Mikasa certainly was at Sasha’s lack of reaction.

 _I knew that._ The canine sniffed. _I knew Connie liked me._

“You did?” Mikasa was a little bit bewildered. “How did you find out?”

 _Just the way he spoke to me sometimes. The way he acted. It was a guess really, but now I suppose it’s actually true._ Sasha explained to her. She didn’t wag her tail. _There was a few times when I thought he would tell me, but he didn’t._

“If you knew then why didn’t you...” Mikasa felt a twinge of jealousy at the pit of her stomach.

 _I wanted to give him the chance. I thought that he would someday._ Sasha gave a small scoff. _I guess it’s too late now._

Mikasa didn’t respond for a while, and the dog looked at her worriedly. Even though she had gotten this information off her chest, she still felt uneasy. If Sasha knew that Connie liked her and had planned to ask her out, did that mean Sasha _liked_ Connie? Did she still like him? She was terribly happy to see her when last week. That was a thought to put off her good mood. After a while, she found her voice.

“If he had asked...” She started slowly. “Would you have accepted?”

Sasha furrowed her furry eyebrows into concentration. She had never thought of that before. She knew that someday he would ask and she would have to answer. Perhaps when she was human she had an answer, but now, she had no clue. The dog had noticed how nervous Mikasa was. Supposedly, it would be better to let the girl know the truth.

 _I don’t really know._ Mikasa seemed a little relieved, but still worried. _I mean, I might’ve had an answer back when I was alive. I remembering that I would spend time thinking about it, but I don’t remember my answer._ Then she gave a dog-like smile. _The car must’ve hit it out of me._

“Oh.” Mikasa didn’t know what to say.

 _I feel different about it now._ Sasha voice bombarded the girl, dragging her out of her thoughts. _I guess living as a dog changed some things. I don’t know I what I would’ve said when I was a human, probably a yes, I think. But now, it isn’t even possible for me to answer._ The dog paused for moment, looking down sadly. _Dog-me is different than Human-me. I want to believe that I am the same that I was before, but things have changed. The things I do, the way I think. It’s different. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing though...but I’ve changed._ The dog winked. _I’m sure you have changed too._

The dog looked seriously at Mikasa.

_So I can’t say for sure what I would’ve said. I can tell you now:  if he would’ve asked, I would say no. Just because I’m a dog and its impossible. I still like him, maybe as a best friend._

Mikasa gave a tired sigh of relief and she seemed much better than she was before. The dog wagged her tail and went over to put her nose onto Mikasa’s lap for the girl to scratch her ears. She licked the hand hear her mouth as a gentle encouragement. The dog was right, Sasha _had_ changed. The dog would get too embarrassed to do things normal dogs did like lick owner’s faces or pounce on them, but now Sasha had gotten used to it. Things _have_ changed.

“Thank you, Sasha. I needed to hear that.” Mikasa murmured to the dog. She petted the patch of fur on the dog’s nose.

 _Your welcome, Mikasa._ The dog replied happily.

The two stayed that way for a while, Sasha resting her head on Mikasa’s lap as the girl fondly petted her head and fiddled with her fur. None of them spoke, mainly because there was not much to be said. Sasha blinked sleepily up at Mikasa. The dog sighed, remembering Connie’s words when they had first met, joining the competition because there was nothing left to lose. She had noticed how nervous Mikasa was when she was asking this and she had only a small inkling of an idea of what it was about. She might as well assure her ‘owner’, it was the least she could do. The dog was basically freeloading anyway. If Connie was brave enough to enter an Archery Competition that he didn’t really practice for, then the dog should at least admit this. Like Connie said, there was _nothing_ left to lose. Just out with it, Sasha, she told herself.

 _I can tell you something now though, if you don’t mind._ Sasha’s voice sounded a bit hesitant.

“Which is?” asked red scarf girl quietly, a bit sleepy herself.

_No matter what happens or what you think._

The dog smiled, in her very dog-like way.

_I will always like you. Don’t worry so much about it, okay?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Not too cheesy I hope. Hopefully I managed to get the feelings across. I actually ship Springles so that's why I put it here, as a minor thing. Don't worry this is still more of a MikaSasha fic. You know a small trivia, I was going to make this a Springles Fic (Sasha is still the dog), but I decided it would fit more with Mikasa and converted it over :3  
> I don't know when I'll be uploading again, but hopefully I'll be able to get chapter seven out in the next two weeks :D
> 
> Until Next time!   
> Jae

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have a regular upload schedule for this so expect long hiatuses and then suddenly chapter :D  
> I don't really ship MikaSasha that much compared to Springles and JeanSasha, but I think they're relationship is really cute and I thought, hey why not? I enjoyed writing this and I hope you guys enjoyed just as much reading it! Hopefully you'll be interested reading the next chapter :3 
> 
> See you next time!  
> Jae
> 
> EDIT: I'm going back and doing a few fixes so you might notice some changes here and there :)


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